Reacting to news today (Thursday 8 March 2012) that the HQ of the Green Investment Bank will be in Edinburgh, Friends of the Earth’s economics campaigner, David Powell, said: “Choosing the HQ for the Green Investment Bank has been like arguing about where to put the cherry on a half-baked cake.

BSI has launched a new standard in support of the government’s Green Deal initiative which will enable households and commercial properties to improve their energy efficiency.

The scale of the challenge to upskill and accredit the workforce and training providers in time for the Green Deal cannot be under-estimated – but SMEs can profit from the scheme, new research has found.

• £3.5m to train Green Deal assessors and installers • £10m to improve the energy efficiency of non-domestic buildings A total of £3.5million in funding has been announced today to help train hundreds of people in key green skills ahead of the launch of the Green Deal, delivering on the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement in March last year to create 1,000 Green Deal apprenticeships.

With a shortage of accredited biomass training courses, Plumb Center’s first HETAS approved course was an instant success, with staff from SSE (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy) flying down from Scotland to take part. The five-day training course, held in Sevenoaks, covered theory as well as the practical aspects of installing, commissioning and maintaining biomass heating systems for both domestic and commercial applications.

Following last November’s announcement that the Energy Saving Trust had become a social enterprise with charitable status, it has now reached a new landmark and been awarded the contract to run the Government’s new energy efficiency advice line by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Despite more and more people feeling the pinch this past year, it is reassuring to see that support has been outstanding for the fundraising efforts of Plumb Center and Parts Center.  With the help of the generous customers throughout the UK an outstanding £105,000 was raised for Action for Children.

Energy efficiency company, Climate Energy, has just been ranked third in the latest Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100.  This annual league table ranks companies by growth in profits over the last two years of available accounts.

Suntech Power Holdings has been awarded the ‘Top Brand PV’ seal by EuPD Research, a market research and consultation firm.

Fire investigators believe a spark from machinery triggered the huge fire that swept through Europe’s biggest biomass power plant yesterday.

European countries will have to set themselves legally binding national energy efficiency targets, and save energy by specific means such as renovating public buildings, under a draft EU directive approved by a European Parliament committee today.

The Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association’s (HVCA) name change is a sign of the times, says the organisation’s president Bob Shelley.

Demand for exhibition space at the Oil & Renewable Energy Show 2012 continues to exceed all expectations – even though there are still more than seven months before the doors open for the national showcase of the industry’s products, services and new technologies.

Demand for exhibition space at the 2012 Oil & Renewable Energy Show is strongly exceeding expectations, with some of the UK’s biggest and best-respected names having already committed to showcasing their products and services at the Manchester event in October.