Focus on Energy & Renewables: Strategy Announced for a Greener Future

Tue 21 Jul 2009

  
This week the UK announced its strategy for meeting carbon emissions targets including a massive increase in renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Strategy maps out the UK government’s strategy for reaching the EU target of 15% of the UK’s total energy consumption from renewables by 2020, from around 2% today.

The strategy identifies a range of low carbon sectors with potential for job creation and growth. These include: wave and tidal power; nuclear power; offshore wind and ultra-low carbon vehicles. Publication of the Renewable Energy Strategy follows a year-long consultation process. It recommits the government to a massive increase in renewable electric power generation going up from 5% today to 30% by 2020.

• More than 1.2 million people in green jobs
• 7 million homes enjoying pay-as-you-save home-energy makeovers, and more than 1.5 million households supported to produce their own clean energy
• 40% of electricity will be from low carbon sources, from renewables, nuclear and clean coal
• The average new car will emit 40% less carbon than now.

What does this mean for Wind Power?

Earlier this week, the UK’s Confederation of British Industry called on the government not to rely heavily on wind power in its energy planning. Reacting to last week’s announcements, Maria McCaffery MBE, chief executive of the British Wind Energy Association, said: “We welcome the government’s commitment to delivering on the 2020 targets. They have rightly ignored the siren calls to abandon wind as the driving force for reaching the targets. The RES provides a clear routemap for the growth of a new £60 billion (US $96 billion) industry and the creation of 60,000 UK jobs. However, industry is now looking for a cross-party consensus on the detail of delivery. This will help convince investors that the country is serious about fighting climate change and developing domestic, renewable sources of energy.”

Although the strategy places a strong emphasis on wind to deliver the bulk of the targets, BWEA said it is surprised that the government has not taken the opportunity to give confidence to investors by clearly stating its ambition for the size of the sector, especially offshore. To achieve such high targets there needs to be substantial investment from electricity producers to support the offshore wind and to commence the development of a smart grid.

Creating the highly skilled workforce

Commenting on the strategy, Trade Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber said: “That will require a highly-skilled workforce, and it is very welcome that the government is recognising today the need to help re-train workers who have lost their jobs in traditional manufacturing to give them the skills they need to take up jobs in the new, greener firms, and become part of the transition to a new style, low carbon economy … there is no conflict between economic success and a low-carbon world. Indeed the only prosperous future for the UK is to use our know-how to ensure that we become world-leaders in low carbon industries.”

Responding to the government energy announcements, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, said: “If this plan becomes a reality, it will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs and make Britain a safer and more prosperous country. This will be good for the British economy and, in the long-run, save householders money as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and gas.”