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UtILItY WeeK | 26th september - 2nd october 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; Associate news editor: mathew beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathew.beech@fav-house. com; Energy correspondent: Joyeeta Basu, t: 01342 332110, e: joyeeta.basu@fav-house. com; Insights editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: jane.gray@fav-house.com; Production editor: paul newton, e: paul.newton@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 Ye olde worlde wind farme Sharp-eyed readers – or at least those living in London – may have noticed posters appearing on Underground station platforms in the capital promoting offshore wind energy, courtesy of Dong Energy's new Offshore Wind Works campaign. This will be followed up by spots in the national press, and reinforced by a dedicated website www. offshorewind.works. Dong, it appears, fears offshore wind being tarred with the same negativity that is swirl- ing around onshore wind and is going directly to the public with its message that Britain leads the world in offshore wind and has enough coastline – and wind – to do much more. It's great to see an energy company pick up the gaunt- let and tackle public opinion head-on, rather than ducking below the parapet and hoping the storm will pass. So thinks Disconnector, anyway. That said, the great man is a little confused about the posters Disconnector themselves, faux old master paintings showing the back of a bloke dressed in Victorian cloth- ing staring out across a stormy sea populated by offshore wind turbines. Disconnector is well aware that in Advertising Land a product or idea must be either brand new or bolstered by tradition, but trying to anchor off- shore wind turbines reassur- ingly in the 19th century is a bit of a reach. Sing if you're happy The Institution of Civil Engineers' new campaign to promote careers in engineer- ing to young people dispenses with any such cryptic mes- sages, Disconnector is glad to report. Together with Bechtel, the ICE has filmed engineers young and old from London infrastructure projects including Crossrail, the Olympic Park and Beckton sewage works dancing around in their high viz jackets to "Happy", the worldwide best-selling single by Ameri- can singer Pharrell Williams. (The result is currently live on YouTube). The ICE is hoping that the video, Engineering Happiness, goes viral and helps promote the message to all the "yoof " out there that engineers can have a laugh too. They might think about taking the video down when the Thames Tideway Tunnel gets going in earnest, though. With bulldozers and drills going 24/7 for three years solid despite trenchant opposition from local residents, they might want to post a video of engineers miming to "I'm sorry" by Brenda Lee. Something to chew over Engineers in Canada have built a chin strap that harnesses energy from chewing and turns it into electricity. The great man kids you not. Apparently, the strap uses "smart" material that becomes electrically charged when stretched. Look in the Institute of Physics journal Smart Materials and Structures if you don't believe it – that's where the researchers published their work. The prototype they have made does not create enough electricity to be "useful", they say, but increasing the efficiency of the material and adding more layers will solve that. It would be somewhat ironic if, aer all these years of talking about decarbonising generation rather than actually doing something about it, it turned out that talking about it was all we had to do aer all. Arf, arf. 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2013 Subscriptions: UK £577 per year, overseas £689 per year fhcustomerservices@ abacusemedia.com 3WhitehallPlace @3WhitehallPlace We are now consulting on our 'Scotland – The Ideal Location for Britain's Nuclear Waste Dump?' proposals Emily Gosden @emilygosden Hilarious. Court tells BP to make its case in 35 pages. BP tries to sneak in extra six – by shrinking line spacing Rich Hall @richonlyinname EdF boss comes out for No. Key voting block of EdF-loving undecideds no longer in play. Bookmakers start paying out on no Rich Hall @richonlyinname It was the Vincent wot won it Yorkshire Water @YorkshireWater Smurfs, Vikings, Minions & four Dennis the Menaces helped raise £2,500 for @WaterAidUK in our own Whitby "regatta" Ian Dunt @IanDunt One thing #indyref changed my mind about was votes at 16. They're plainly able to handle it & benefit from being treated as grown-ups Paul Waugh @paulwaugh Salmond swims upstream, leaps, smoked. Mebbe just exhausted by all that Salmond fishing for Yes men Jennifer Gerholdt @JGerholdt Solutions to the #energy #water nexus remain elusive; we need everyone at the table Leanne Ford @leannefordy Decc launches Facebook page to help people save energy and money this winter Jim Watson @watsonjim2 Former Ofgem CEO Alistair Buchanan has a v gloomy assessment of UK electricity security, tho didn't say "lights will go out" Greg Barker @GregBarkerMP 2014 on Track to be Hottest Year on Record Erin Gill @erinjacqgill UK imports more than 60% of its energy. Renewables = greater independence Top Tweets