Ofgem has chosen 10 projects to receive a total funding of £59.4 million for innovation in transporting energy around Britain.

It is part of the regulator’s three innovation competitions that aim to make the energy networks smarter, accelerate the development of low carbon energy and help consumers save money.

Successful projects include developing robots to help monitor and repair gas mains and a trialling energy efficiency and demand-side response with fuel poor and vulnerable customers.

Ofgem picked only 10 out of the 16 bids as it “could not be confident that all projects were sufficiently developed”. A total of £109 million was available for the 16 projects.

Hannah Nixon, Senior Partner, Distribution said: “Innovation is integral to the future development of Britain’s energy networks… I am sure that this year’s projects will continue to provide crucial learning and enable real savings to be delivered for existing and future consumers.”

This is the first year of the network innovation competitions (NICs), which provides up to £27 million of funding per year for onshore and offshore electricity transmission companies and up to £18 million for gas distribution and transmission firms.

London’s Mayor Boris Johnson plans to unleash “green business dragons” of the future with a new competition for low carbon innovators.

Students in the capital are being invited to participate in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition – headed by entrepreneur and investor Deborah Meaden – pitching their new business ideas to cut future carbon emissions and enhance the capital’s green economy.

The winner will bag a £20,000 prize to help make their idea a reality and will also be crowned ‘Low Carbon Entrepreneur 2014’. Six runners-up will have the chance to become paid interns with prize sponsor Siemens.

Entries can range from new product design, transport facilities, energy efficiency, water management, food and waste recycling or any other sustainable ideas.

Mr Johnson said: “London’s burgeoning green economy is full of potential and I want to encourage every bright young mind to consider what they can add. Somewhere out there is the next big idea that could transform the way we live and work while helping reduce our carbon emissions and encouraging huge investment and growth in the capital.”

The competition is in its third year and is open to students at Further and Higher Education institutes across London. It also forms part of the Mayor’s commitment to reduce 60% of carbon emissions by 2025.

The European Union and China have signed an agreement to collaborate on a new low carbon city progaramme.

Climate-KIC, the EU’s main climate innovation initiative will work with Tianjin, the fourth largest city in China, on projects that aim to boost sustainable growth, with plans for pilot projects on green building retrofit and ‘smart city’ systems.

The agreement was signed in Beijing last week during the EU-China Summit.

Mary Ritter, Climate-KIC CEO said: “Chinese cities are on the frontline in facing the combined challenges of climate change, sustainable development and demographic change. How China urbanises in the coming decades is critical for China and the wider world.”

The EU is China’s biggest trading partner while China is the EU’s largest source of imports.

The nuclear agreement announced today will have a “lasting positive impact” on the UK’s energy independence and low carbon plans.

That’s the view of the Head of Power & Utilities at EY as the UK Government finally struck a deal with EDF Energy on the terms of contract for the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point.

The agreement means the UK will soon have its first new nuclear station in 25 years and will produce enough electricity to power around five million homes for 60 years.

EY’s Tony Ward said: “Today’s announcement marks a huge step towards delivering a balanced, lower carbon, energy mix for future generations of UK energy users. This investment will have a lasting positive impact on the UK’s energy independence, its economy, the local communities and the UK’s low carbon aspirations.

“Agreement on the price and duration of the CfD contract is one of the most significant enablers to unlock positive investment decisions, not just from EDF at their Hinkley site but other potential co-investors and subsequently from other developers. Whilst not the final piece of the jigsaw, this is undoubtedly one of the most significant.”

The trade body for the energy industry also welcomed the agreement as “good news”.

A spokesperson from Energy UK said: “There is a clear need to build new power stations and nuclear represents clean, reliable energy and jobs both during the build and while the plant is running… Building new power stations is never quick or cheap but in the case of Hinkley development, nothing goes on the bill until 2020.”

The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) believes Hinkley Point C is the “first major test” of the electricity market reform (EMR) and will protect consumers in the long run.

Chief Executive Keith Parker said: “By incentivising investment in nuclear energy and other low carbon technologies, the UK is well on the road to ensuring secure domestic supplies of electricity for the long-term. Today’s agreement will help protect consumers from the uncertain and volatile costs of imported fossil fuels for decades to come.”

Around 25,000 jobs are expected to be created during the construction of the power plant as well as 900 permanent jobs during its 60-year operation while also saving around 10 million tons of carbon emissions every year.

Quakers in Britain are planning to convert their fossil fuel investments into low carbons ones, after having a revelation about its climate change commitments.

The religious group’s central body – known as the British Yearly Meeting – currently has £21 million invested in the stock market, with 3% sunk into BG Group and 1.2% invested in Statoil.

A member of one of the group’s committees said: “Investing in companies who are engaged in fossil fuel extraction is incompatible with Quakers’ commitment to become a low-carbon community.”

Quakers in Britain has announced its support for Operation Noah, a charity calling for churches and religious communities to cut out fossil fuel investments for its Bright Now campaign. The movement is trying to encourage the complete decarbonisation of the British economy by 2030.

Operation Noah chair Isabel Carter said: “We wish to congratulate the Quakers on taking leadership on this vital issue. We urge other churches in the UK to think seriously about following this example.”

The final decision on whether to press ahead with the plans will be made later this month.

The Government has announced extra cash will be made available to bring more low carbon buses into service in a bid to cut pollution.

The new £2.4 million funding will see 55 more green buses on the roads and will also be used to retrofit dozens more to clean up their exhaust fumes.

Bus companies and local authorities in eight towns and cities including Manchester, Oxford, York and Sunderland have been awarded the cash for electric, hybrid and biomethane gas-powered buses.

The project will build on the Government’s Green Bus Fund and follows grants awarded to 11 local authorities to upgrade almost 400 local buses earlier this year.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “This money will improve air quality in towns and cities across England and cut carbon, which is good for all of us wherever we live.

“Schemes like these are a cost-effective way of landing real benefits for the public and the environment. Cleaner, more efficient bus services are good for the economy and for the environment – it’s a win-win.”

Last month the Department for Transport unveiled a new strategy to roll-out £500 million of funding for ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK.

The head of power and utilities at EY is joining the stellar line-up at the Energy Live 2013 conference this November.

An expert in the field, Tony Ward is the man credited with coming up with the £200 billion investment figure needed for the UK to modernise its electricity network in its transition to a low carbon future.

As an advisor to the Government he’s bound to have the ear of many a minister and his assignments include work on the energy market review – particularly a focus on nuclear generation – and he is also responsible for the audit of the UK’s electricity trading arrangements.

He was also one of the speakers at the first Energy Live conference held last year where he discussed the need for trust in the industry and gave his views on what suppliers need to do to gain it.

As a chartered accountant with more than 27 years’ experience he has spent much time analysing thermal power generation.

With ministers suggesting the UK could struggle hitting its emissions targets and EY warning the Government isn’t doing enough to win long term renewable investors, why not hear it from the expert himself on what needs to be done to get that investment on board.

To make sure you don’t miss out on key issues or if you have any questions for Mr Ward or other experts in the industry, come along to the Energy Live 2013 conference being held at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden on 7th November.

New buildings in Scotland are set to be more energy efficient following changes to the standards announced by the Scottish Government.

Improvements to new homes from October 2015 are expected to cut carbon emissions by around 21% compared to current levels while new non-domestic buildings such as shops and offices will have an average reduction of around 43%.

Minister for Planning Derek Mackay said the new measures are “vital” to drive Scotland to a low carbon economy.

He added: “Over the last year I have met with many representatives from the house building and construction industry. Today’s announcement is made well in advance of improvements coming into effect, to give plenty of time to prepare for the changes.

“I’m now giving industry the certainty they asked for and importantly, an extra transitional two years preparatory period, a total of five years without change. This also provides a valuable period in which industry and government can work together to successfully deliver the improved standards.”

Earlier this year the UK Government also set standards for new buildings in England, with a target to build only zero carbon homes from 2016.

Local authorities in England and Wales are being invited to bring forward innovative proposals to develop low carbon heating and cooling networks and bid for their share of a £6 million fund.

The Government is launching the grant scheme for technologies that draw heat energy “as much as possible” from renewable, sustainable or recoverable sources such as waste heat from industry, energy from waste plants and biomass combined heat and power (CHP). Bids will be assessed on a range of criteria including, the potential for commercial development and contribution towards low carbon and energy reduction objectives.

Heat networks supply heat from a central source directly to homes and businesses through a network of pipes carrying hot water, which means individual properties do not need to generate their own heat on site. Many university campuses, new mixed commercial and residential developments and high rise flats currently draw heat from low carbon heating networks.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker (pictured) said: “Increasing the use of low carbon heating in our buildings is helping to reduce our dependency on costly, imported oil and gas.

“Thanks to the Coalition Government’s support, many UK buildings have already made the switch from traditional fuels to low carbon heat sources. This new grant funding programme builds on these successes by helping Local Authorities develop more commercially viable low carbon heat networks.”

The bidding process starts today and will continue for 18 months through a series of six rounds.

Last month Southwark Council announced householders in the London borough will soon have their heating and hot water generated from an energy from waste facility.

London’s green economy is booming as the sector is worth around £25.4 billion to the capital’s economy, a new report revealed.

Figures from Mayor Boris Johnson’s Office also showed the Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCGES) sector has grown from £20.9 billion in 2007/08 to £22.9 billion in 2009/10.

It also rose by more than 5% over each of the last two years, with the value of exports at £2.2 billion – up from £1.9 billion in 2009/10.

Growth is predicted to continue until the end of the decade by around 6% per year, which is expected to help support the Mayor’s goal of London becoming one of the most sustainable cities in the world by 2020. More than 9,200 green businesses are currently employing over 163,500 people in London.

The largest sub-sectors in the LCGES industry by sales are in carbon finance (£6.52bn), geothermal (£2.74bn), wind (£2.53bn) and building technologies (£2.28bn) – which in total account for 56% of the capital’s sales.

Mr Johnson said: “This report proves that cities taking climate action can expect economic growth. London is becoming the ‘one-stop shop’ for low carbon and environmental services – providing the goods, skills and financing every city needs to make its transition to a low carbon, resource efficient economy.”

Earlier this year the Mayor also proposed plans to have the “world’s first” Ultra Low Emission Zone in London.