OJEC stands for the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC is now recognised as OJEU – the Official Journal of the European Union). This is the publication in which all tenders from the public sector which are valued above a certain financial threshold according to EU legislation, must be published.

The legislation covers organisations and projects that receive public money. Organisations such as Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, MOD, Central Government Departments and Educational Establishments are all covered by the legislation.

It has been published in 22 official languages (23 when Irish is required) of the member states, every working day since the Treaty of Nice entered into force on 1 February 2003. The OJEU superseded the earlier Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) with the establishment of the European Union.

The term ‘Journal’ is misleading, as production of the hard copy version ceased in 1997, and can now be accessed online via Tenders Direct

Around 2500 new notices are advertised every week – these include invitations to tender, prior information notices, qualification systems and contract award notices. Purchasing Authorities can use the eProcurement portal, myTenders to publish OJEU and lower value tenders.

All three series of the OJEU are published every working day (5 days a week). Approximately 160,000 invitations to tender are published each year, of which more than 14,000 are from the UK or Ireland.

The Publications Office of the European Union (L’Office des publications de l’Union européenne, or OPOCE) is responsible for the production of the OJEU. OPOCE is based in Luxembourg and employs a staff of 655.

NHS PASA energy Framework Agreement

NHS PASA, established in April 2000, is an executive agency of the Department of Health.  

They are not a trading organisation being centrally funded by Government allows us to concentrate on those functions that demonstrate value to the NHS.

Being an integral part of the Department of Health, we are in a key position to advise ministers and Government on policy and the strategic direction of procurement across the NHS. With ministerial support we are leading the ongoing modernisation of purchasing and supply – ensuring that purchasing and supply strategies reflect and contribute towards the achievement of the Government’s policies, strategies and priorities.

The UK has no chance of hitting its target of reducing 80% of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 unless the commercial property sector embarks on a massive drive to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, according to the Carbon Trust.

Commercial property accounts for 18% of all UK emissions, but levels have stayed the same over the past 20 years, the organisation found ahead of a new report on building emissions to be published this month. 

Stuart Farmer, author of the report, said national minimum standards under the “energy performance certificate” system must be imposed to improve the average efficiency rating of buildings from E grade to C grade by 2020 and A grade by 2050.

The organisation will also call on the Government to ensure lighting and heating controls become standard across all 1.8m non-domestic buildings in the UK within the next 10 years, and beyond that, businesses should install triple glazing and ground-source heat pumps.

In April, the Government’s “carbon reduction commitment” – a mandatory trading scheme will be imposed on 5,000 large companies in the UK, forcing them to buy allowances to emit carbon dioxide.

The Carbon Trust believes the number of allowances in the system needs to be reduced to accelerate the speed of emissions reductions and incentivise companies to invest in energy efficiency measures.

Concerns over the carbon footprint of existing buildings was echoed in a recent international survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It found that surveyors in the UK thought their clients did not see conserving energy by investing in their premises as a top priority.

The majority in Britain felt that saving money and making profits would be the main reason to improve the carbon footprint of buildings.

Ursula Hartenberger, global head of sustainability policy at RICS, said that there were few incentives in place for tenants or landlords to suffer the disruption caused by updating occupied premises.

Energy efficiency of a building might influence the rent a new tenant was prepared to pay, she said, but the pace of change was slow and the compulsory energy performance certificate system was having little impact.

A company in Utah is developing a battery system for home-based electricity storage that may make energy storage much easier and more economical for off-the-grid homes as well as helping to improve the efficiency of grid-tied homes.

The technology being developed by Ceramatec is a new variation on sodium sulfur batteries, an existing technology with very high energy density, but best suited for very large scale, industrial style installations such as grid storage. However, these batteries have the potential to bring the advantages of sodium sulfur batteries to a much wider range of uses.

Currently, sodium sulfur batteries operate at very high temperatures – above 300 degrees C (572 degrees F), and the components in them are corrosive. This isn’t the sort of thing that you would want in your home, and, for efficiency, they work best at a much larger size; they aren’t really at a home-scale size. On the other hand, there are some advantages to sodium sulfur batteries. They use very common and inexpensive materials, which makes them attractive. And the high energy density means that a small battery is all that is needed for a large amount of energy storage.

The Ceramatec battery separates the sulfur and sodium from each other with a thin ceramic membrane which allows electricity to be stored while operating at a much lower temperature. Ceramatec envisions a refrigerator-sized unit that would remain below 98 degrees C (208 degrees F), the melting point of sodium. Keeping the sodium solid makes for a much safer battery. The battery could store 20 kWh worth of energy, either from local, sustainable sources such as wind or solar, or from off-peak recharging from the grid, much like a plug-in hybrid car recharges when the grid demand is low.

Now, if you’re wondering why you need to know anything at all about EEStor, here’s a quick explanation. The company says that they can make “power storage devices” (not technically batteries, more like peculiar capacitors) that can hold 10x more power than advanced lithium ion cells. These “electrical energy storage units” will be lighter than the most advanced batteries in the world, can charge in minutes and will last forever.

It sounds too good to be true, but so many credible sources have been won over after viewing their technology, and they have had so many investors and clients interested in the technology, that there’s actually a chance that it’s real. If it is real, electric vehicles will be much more practical, less expensive and more convenient than we ever expected them to be.

I know it may sound like science fiction, but if you remember we talked about BlackLight Power’s invention last year, you surely do remember it was about free energy.

BlackLight’s hydrino (a hydrogen atom with a lower energy state  than it was previously thought possible) stirred controversy in scientists’ world, bringing them bad fame as seekers of “free energy” and associating BlackLight Power with a scammer’s image.

On July 30, BlackLight Power announced a commercial license agreement with Maryland-based Akridge Energy. BLP will allow Akridge to use their energy producing process for generating electricity in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Colombia, up to a maximum continuous capacity of 400 MW.

“We believe BlackLight Power has developed a new energy technology that will have a profound impact on the environment and the economy and will help us achieve our goal in becoming a major, green-power producer in the greater-DC market,” said John E. Akridge III, chairman and owner of Akridge Energy. “We are excited to be one of the early-adopters of BLP’s energy technology.” Mr. Akridge is also a shareholder of BlackLight Power.

The trust that Akridge Energy is giving BlackLight by investing in them should give the science community a reason to think more about hydrinos and accept newer physics concepts that, even if not fully understood and demonstrated, work. We’ll keep you updated with any other news about BlackLight’s evolution.

Two of Britain’s leading energy companies have together been fined more than £950 million for illegally carving up their own domestic markets on the Continent. E.On, and French giant GDF Suez have each been fined €553 million for artificially fixing prices. It is the second-largest cartel price-fixing fine in European Union history. The two have been found guilty by the European Commission’s Competition directorate of agreeing not to challenge the other in each other’s domestic market. “Market sharing is one of the worst types of antitrust infringement,” said Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. “This agreement deprived customers of more price competition and more choice of supplier in two of the largest gas markets in the EU.” E.On is one of Britain’s biggest electricity generators and household suppliers. GDF Suez is a leading trader of electricity and gas to UK business consumers, and has power station and gas import and storage facilities in Britain.

Video from Australia showing an over unity motor in action, that works. for further info see http://www.consumercide.com… and the manufacturer website at http://www.lutec.com.au  

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A £12.5 billion deal was struck between the French Company EDF and British Energy, Britain’s nuclear industry. The takeover promises to revolutionise the way electricity is produced in the UK.

The French State currently owns 84% of EDF shares, by eroding the competition in the power market, critics believe a further increase in energy prices will follow while others are concerned about EDF’s environmental record

The British Government, who owns 35% of British Energy, has welcomed their £4 billion share of the deal from the sale, stating that it is an important step towards cutting carbon emissions and renewing British power structure, which is becoming old and unstable as power plants age and retire from service.

Chairman of the House of Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee Peter Luff, MP, stated:

“We already have a gross lack of transparency in Britain’s wholesale electricity market,” he said. “Any deal between EDF and British Energy must contain robust safeguards to ensure there is proper long-term competition.”

Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the deal by saying:

“Good value for the taxpayer and a significant step towards the construction of a new generation of nuclear stations”

He added:

“Nuclear is clean, secure and affordable. Its expansion is crucial for Britain’s long-term energy security, as we reduce our oil dependence and move towards a low-carbon future.”

While Nathan Argent, head of Greenpeace’s nuclear campaign, had a different opinion:

“Just yesterday Gordon Brown promised the UK a million green-collar jobs in the manufacturing sector, but his push for nuclear power has led to a deal which will benefit the French taxpayer and create French jobs. This sale will do nothing to tackle climate change or energy security. This is about turning the UK into a billboard for the French Government’s nuclear sales programme”.

British Energy promised to revolutionise the way electricity is produced in the UK.