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utIlIty WeeK | 27th June - 3rd July 2014 | 31 Community Disconnector Editor: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellen.bennett@fav-house.com; News editor: Jillian Ambrose, t: 01342 332061, e: jillian.ambrose@fav-house.com; Energy editor: Megan Darby, t: 01342 332087, e: megan.darby@fav-house.com; Associate news editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathew.beech@fav-house. com; Reporter: Conor McGlone, t: 01342 332083, e: conor.mcglone@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ed Roberts, t: 01342 332067, e: ed.roberts@fav-house. com; Sales executive: Hayley Cronin, t: 01342 332077, e: hayley.cronin@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amanda.barnes@fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Subscriptions: uK £577 per year, Overseas £689 per year, t: 01342 332011. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace road, Buxton, derbyshire SK17 6Ae. Published by: Faversham house ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, east Grinstead, West Sussex rh19 1uZ Now we're motoring The great thing about this country is that we're prepared to have a go, muses Disconnec- tor. Johnny Foreigner might be obsessed with "preparation" and "chances of success", but for an Englishman it's more about the travelling than the destination. That's certainly got to be the attitude of Simon Milward, who will be setting off from Dover at the end of the month in an attempt to make the first cross- ing of the English Channel in a motorboat powered solely by photovoltaic cells. The cells are supplied by AKT Solar, which is also sponsoring the trip. In the press release drum- ming up interest in Simon's adventure, we are reminded that the English Channel is one of the busiest water lanes in the world – complete with tankers weighing hundreds of thousands of tonnes with a turning arc the size of the Isle of Man. Simon's boat will rely solely on solar power, and since a boat can't turn unless it's moving, it is a very brave move not to include back-up batteries in case some- thing goes wrong. The same have-a-go spirit infuses the project. Why waste time and money on a sleek, high-tech fibreglass prototype when you can sling bits of wood between two catamaran hulls, nail some solar panels to them, and perch an outboard motor on the back? Heck, what could go wrong? Disconnector The great man (Disconnec- tor, that is, not Simon) sincerely hopes our intrepid adventurer completes the journey safely, but he is not sure that gambling with your life on a Heath Robinson- esque contraption convincingly makes the case for solar energy. Dress for success As Disconnector oen notes, we live in an age where style has a gravitas all of its own. That's a lesson that's obvi- ously been taken on board by RenewableUK, which last week announced a partnership with eco-fashion brand Rapanui Clothing. Rapanui already wears its sustainability credentials on its sleeve (its Asian factory is wind powered) and the partnership will see it producing a range of t-shirts inspired by wind power. Disconnector applauds the attempt to try to make wind power sexy, although he has his doubts about how many t-shirts they'll shi. It's the Devil who gets the best tunes, and while wind might be worthy, it ain't pretty. Style counsel There is a limit to what you can accomplish with style alone. You also need to have something useful. At least that's the rather old-fashioned idea Disconnector adheres to, although any num- ber of Apple-bedecked hipsters might disagree. The great man was thus le scratching his head over the launch of the Twist and Sprout, a gadget for the fash- ion conscious gardener that "easily and stylishly" turns any screw cap bottle into a water- ing can. Basically, it's a plastic handle/spout combo you screw on your Evian (other brands are available) to turn your bottle into an "eco-water- ing can". The concept by Swiss designer Nicolas Le Moigne won a special merit award at the Housewares Fair in Milan for its "unique design and util- ity", apparently. "Brilliant designs are some- times the most simple", trills the PR puff accompanying the launch. And they're right. Take the design of the bottle, for instance. Brilliant for tipping out water into anything you can mention: your mouth, a flowerpot… The Twist and Sprout is available for £9.99 and will turn your unwieldy bottle into an "elegant watering can. In seconds!". Just the ticket Disconnector is sick of all the doom and gloom just because England got knocked out of the World Cup. It's only a game. Plus, the great man got The Netherlands in the office sweepstake. That's all right, then. 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2013 Subscriptions: UK £577 per year, Overseas £689 per year fhcustomerservices@ abacusemedia.com Richard Schofield @SchoeyEconomics Why haven't gas prices gone down yet? Why is Ofgem surprised? Anyway are energy prices really that high? Energy efficiency and renewables up Jan Rosenow @janrosenow Getting a #GreenDeal seems to be more difficult than I thought it would be. No 'one stop shop' and 'seamless process' so far. Adam Scorer @adam_scorer Necessary from @ofgem on npower. Too deep a problem for too long. Not just numbers game. It causes real consumer harm incl bill shocks Huw Irranca-Davies @ IrrancaDaviesMP Gorgeous parliamentary moment then, as @alanwhiteheadmp asks Decc minister a technical question whose face says it all: "I haven't a clue!" Mark Pengelly @mark_pengelly Making UK #energy switching faster is a good idea @ofgem, but it's only part of the problem: consumer education is also vital James Beard @JamesBeardREA Decc to allow "Chinese companies [to] own & operate a Chinese designed nuclear power station". Jolly gracious of em! James Beard @JamesBeardREA ...in the UK I think they mean. Edam Hazard @richonlyinname Aurora projects power price of £41/MWh in 2030 while Decc projects £80/MWh. But who knows? Pin the tail on the donkey. No, not that one. Bas Eickhout @BasEickhout Energy efficiency debate continues euractiv. com/sections/energ… Amazing how Commis- sion still believes in nonbinding targets after years of failure National Grid UK @nationalgriduk Encouraging women to consider engineering careers is important for our business and the wider economy #NWED Top Tweets