AHS Energy

Turning over an Old Leaf

For many years AHS has been associated with its maple leaf logo, and a darn fine logo it is. 

 

But AHS has changed and it has grown, and we felt it was time to present an image that better reflected the nature (!) of the business, and provided a link between our various activities.

 

Not for AHS, the simple reversing of colours, as BP famously did some years ago with their green on yellow/yellow on green effort.  We have had a radical rethink, and we are delighted with the result.

 

So here it is – the new AHS logo.   

We think it says a lot about what AHS stands for, reflecting our intimate involvement with wood products – whether it be bark or compost for landscaping, or woodchip for renewable energy. 

 

It says we care about sustainable woodland management, which is why AHS has been awarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, and will soon have the prestigious ISO 14001 accreditation.  It says we are here to stay, and we are looking to continue to grow.  After all, if we don’t look after the careful sourcing of our products, there won’t be anything left to source.

 

We hope you like it.

Copenhagen, elections, economic recovery...

Here in East Sussex we have been basking in sub-zero temperatures for over a week now.  Not only is it good news for those who see the cold as the best way of killing off nasty bugs, but it also provides a small fillip to the biomass woodfuel industry.  Global warming indeed!

So what's news and what can we look forward to in the year to come?  Well for one thing there continues to be talk, talk and more talk.  And slowly, slowly we are seeing a gradual increase in the take-up of renewable energy.  2010 is likely to follow a very similar pattern, reined in by the appalling microclimate that is the British economy.  Times are definitely going to be tough, and the worry is that the incentive and finance for investment in renewables just won't be there to really put a dent in the stats.  Time for less talk and more action.

The general disillusion with politics and politicians is often put down to the petty squabbling, posturing and self-interest of our decision-makers.  Copenhagen was a chance for the world to gather and really address a crisis of immense proportions, putting aside short-sighted political expediency.  Cynics would say that all we got was more squabbling, more self-interest and no conclusion.  This is no way to connect with real people making daily decisions that could improve or damage the future well-being of the planet.  Our response is just to switch off - brains, not lights!

Perhaps though there is something positive to be taken from Copenhagen after all.  Over 190 different countries were represented at the talks and we feel that this shows at last a real recognition that collective action needs to be taken, and fast.  Ultimately all the talk will lead to some action.  You just wish it could happen faster.

It's the same here at home.  We have been promised for some time a Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.  It should be good news - heat makes up around 47% of the UK energy burden.  But guess what?  The details of the scheme have been delayed.  What kind of a way is this for business to make plans to improve energy use in buildings?  The result:  no solar, no wind, no biomass.  Nothing. 

In years to come however, historians won't remember these delays.  They will remember the economic slough and they will recall the General Election of 2010.  On the environmental front, all the signs are that there won't be significant changes in policy should the Conservatives be elected.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that traditionally the UK grinds to a halt in the run-up to a General Election.  Let's just hope that this doesn't happen to any great degree.  It's not as if we haven't all got enough to be getting on with.

Happy Christmas and here's to a much improved 2010.

Edward Wilkinson is presenting at Smart Energy '09

AHS Energy Head of Marketing, Ed Wilkinson, is to present at the forthcoming Smart Energy show next week at Wembley Stadium.

He will be discussing a variety of case studies, both good and bad, with an audience made up of fellow biomass professionals, representatives from the public and private sector, and industry consultants.

Ed would like it to be known that this will not be the first time he has "played Wembley" - having had an inglorious 20 minutes on the hallowed turf in 1993 in a Wembley staff footballl match - but he hopes his efforts this time are slightly more constructive.

Every Little Helps

Posted by Edward Wilkinson

 

 

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks since the Planning Permission for our biomass power plant in Northiam was submitted. 

 

When I joined Ahs a couple of months ago I little imagined that I would have to host TV film crews, or appear on local BBC radio drivetime programmes, let alone talk to major organisations about the merits or otherwise of nuclear energy.  Whilst still trying to do the day job.

 

There’s passion aplenty in Northiam right now.  I live in a village too, and I’ve seen what a force to behold a village can be when the juices are up.  When plans were revealed for four “affordable” homes to be built slap bang next to the green, there was an almighty row.  It’s a big issue in the South East – more homes need to be made available, but surely not in our back yard.

 

Meetings were held, posters…erm posted, petitions put together.  And then when things calmed down eventually, a decision was made based on the facts of the matter.   People just don’t like change.  It was ever thus, especially in rural England.

 

For Northiam, this is obviously a rather more dramatic development, but the same rules should apply.  Of course there will be emotion, rumour and counter-rumour.  But above all the facts should first be seen for what they are.  As I said I have seen how this works.

 

But I haven’t been the “baddie” before.  I thought I was going to be the “goodie!”  You see, at Ahs we all feel that this is a great project, a great opportunity not just for the South East to have a green landmark for the future, but also for Northiam itself to feel real pride in the same way as the village is rightly proud of Great Dixter.

 

What’s to be done?  I guess we weren’t really expecting the negative response we have had.  There’s a lot to take in – new technology not familiar to many can be pretty alarming.  But as with all new things, once the facts are examined, minds can be put at rest, and that’s our job now.

 

So whilst the day-to-day business of selling woodchip to a host of other biomass projects around the country is being taken care of by the sales team, I am  busy making those facts available.  Here’s one: the power station at Kingsnorth will be sending out 8m tonnes of CO₂ a year and God know what else.  Our little plant at Northiam plant will be saving 13,500 tonnes.  Every little helps, as they say.  If we all did our bit…

Tesco buiding world’s first zero carbon store

In a recent Sunday Times business section article Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, outlined his vision for cutting the company’s carbon emissions and increasing growth of the retailing giant in a green way.  Tesco is to build the world’s first zero carbon store, with energy coming from a combined heat and power plant.  They hope the store will become a template for a global roll-out. Other long term plans include providing the customer with an informed choice by carbon labelling produce (this is a good way of ensuring your suppliers put their own house in order), and introducing charging points for electric cars in car parks.  It must be said that all the other major retailers including Sainsbury, Marks & Spencer and Asda are all planning or operating new green policies.  Providing consumers with carbon information, greener produce and services can only be good and lead to a better environment.

On the same day a further article in the Sunday Times reported that the UK will not hit its targets for renewable energy.  It is forecasted that the country will only be sourcing 5% of its energy from renewables by 2020, not the 15% it signed up to with the European Commission.  At present the UK is one of the worst performers in Europe with only 2% of its energy needs coming from renewable sources.  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), following consultation, will this summer publish its new strategy. This will set out how the UK will meet the 15% target it has legally signed up to and hopefully avoid substantial fines which could be imposed by the European Commission.

Let’s hope the DECC listened to those with whom they consulted because here at Ahs energy we have written to the Minister in charge Ed Miliband four times over the past three months and have never received a reply, and as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of renewable wood chip biomass we have a lot to offer a Government trying to meet its renewable energy obligations.