Between the Broadsheets

The UK is closer to facing major power shortages than at any time for 20 years, a report from the consultancy CapGemini will warn today, with Britain still no closer to solving the dilemma of how to meet higher demand whilereducing carbon dioxide emissions.
CapGemini's report will warn that the real margin, the amount of power available over and above the demand for it, has now fallen to 2.2 per cent, from 7.9 per cent last year, the lowest figure for 10 years. - The Independent

The UK is at "real risk" of imminent power shortages as a result of attempts to shift to more environmentally friendly methods of electrictity production, a report has warned. The study, which was carried out by Capgemini, a global energy consultancy firm, also claims that electricity generation has fallen to its lowest level in ten years.
The shortage has been caused by the increase in the level of demand for energy combined with a growing tendency to build wind turbines, at the expense of other, more reliable, electricity sources, it says.
The report estimates that around one quarter of the UK's energy plant capacity will close by 2015 as the country struggles to balance its carbon emissions targets with production of new energy sources. - The Daily Telegraph

More than 195,000 wind turbines will spring up outside homes across Britain over the next 12 years, according to energy advisers, after the Government pledged to pay people for generating their own electricity. A "feed-in tariff" will be introduced to ensure any household generating power through renewable power sources like wind, solar or biomass will be paid for the energy they produce, as part of measures to tackle climate change.
The Energy Saving Trust, the independent body in charge of improving energy efficiency in the UK, predicted that the introduction of the tariffs could persuade 8.6 million people - around a quarter of households - to invest in combined heat and power, wind turbines or other low carbon technologies. - The Daily Telegraph

In the desert of southern Spain, 20 miles outside Seville, more than 1,000 mirrors are being carefully positioned. Each is about half the size of a tennis court, so the adjustments will take time. But when they are complete in a few weeks, it will mark a major moment in the quest for renewable energy.
The mirrors are part of the world's biggest solar tower plant, a technology that reflects sunlight to superheat water at a central tower. Once this €80m (£67m) plant is inaugurated in January, it will generate 20MW of electricity, enough to power 11,000 Spanish homes. - The Guardian

The sale of land regarded as prime sites for the next generation of nuclear power stations will be launched this week by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The three sites are adjacent to existing or closed atomic power stations. The NDA, which manages the operation and clean-up of 19 government-owned nuclear sites, will be selling farmland at Oldbury in Gloucestershire, Bradwell in Essex, and Wylfa on Anglesey.
Following a consultation with private sector investors earlier this year, these were the sites that attracted the most interest and are seen as the best locations for new nuclear reactors. - The Financial Times