Applications for funding of up to £5,000 are being invited by the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action on behalf of the Cheshire Lehman Fund.
The Chesshire Lehmann Fund is open to applicants across England whose projects undertake active research or evaluation into the relationship between fuel poverty and energy efficiency.
The Fund was established in memory of Professor John Chesshire and Dr Peter Lehmann, both Fabian socialists who strongly campaigned for energy efficiency and greater expenditure on insulation and improving the energy performance of homes as a way of combating fuel poverty.
The Chesshire Lehmann fund was set up to support young academics and community groups wishing to undertake active research or evaluation into the relationship between fuel poverty and energy efficiency.
Information on the Fund and how to apply can be found at its website at www.chesshire-lehmann.co.uk, or by calling 0191 2615677.
The first deadline for applications is 2 June 2010.
HomeZone Living has installed 10 wind and solar-powered street lights at key locations in and around Lichfield.
The low-maintenance lights, known as Green Columns, use only renewable energy generated by the sun and wind. The electricity is stored in a battery which then powers the lights when darkness falls.
Darren Hackett, electrical inspector at HomeZone Living, said:
"This is an exciting project which offers HomeZone Living many benefits, while also reducing our reliance on traditional fossil fuels and the environmental damage they may cause. The Green Column is an environmentally friendly, cost saving solution to providing amenity lighting at remote sites.
"Locations previously considered too far from the grid but which require lighting can now be considered for a Green Column. The wind and solar powered solution delivers free renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
"An added bonus is they don't need to be connected to the grid, so there's no need to dig up roads, and we can use them in areas which would have been very difficult to light in the past."
HomeZone is also considering retro-fitting LED lamp units to all 450 street lights in un-adopted areas.
Established following stock transfer in 1997, HomeZone Living is the largest RSLs in the district, managing around 4,500 homes. In is now a member of the Bromford Group.
BRE Trust has announced a new report - Building-Mounted Micro-Wind Turbines on High-Rise and Commercial Buildings - which provides guidance on the positioning of wind turbines on the roofs of tall buildings to maximise their potential for wind power generation
The report is based on a study that characterises wind conditions over a range of building heights from 15 meters to 80 meters, and provides guidance on the most effective height and location for wind turbine installations.
UK government policy (Planning Policy Statement PPS22) requires that all future non-residential or mixed-use developments above 1000 m2 will be expected to provide at least 10% of their energy requirements from on-site renewable energy generation. Wind energy produced from building-mounted wind turbines could be expected to provide a proportion of this renewable energy.
Paul Blackmore, author of the report, said:
For further details visit the online BRE Bookshop."There is an increasing trend to mount wind turbines on the roofs of tall buildings, where they have the potential to generate useful levels of energy due to the advantages from increased wind resource at these heights and the reduced shelter and turbulence from surrounding buildings.
"However, without guidance it is not easy for planners to determine the most effective locations for placing wind turbines. As a result, this potential renewable energy source is not always used most effectively, and inappropriate placement can lead to an ineffective installation with severely limited power generation possibilities."