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LONDON, England, May 17, 2006 (Refocus Weekly)
The UK can meet its energy needs and reduce the
impact of climate change by increasing the use of renewable energy,
says a study produced for the WWF conservation group.
Fairly modest measures to reduce growth in electricity
consumption and increase green power to 25% by 2025 could help
utilities to meet demand while simultaneously reducing emissions by
55% from 1990 levels, explains ‘The Balance of Power’ prepared for
WWF by the independent consulting firm ILEX. The paper was submitted
to the government's energy review, which many groups in Britain
expect to recommend a new generation of nuclear reactors.
The energy gap threatening the UK is largely a ‘myth’ spread by
advocates of nuclear, the study suggests, and the country could meet
demand and reduce GHG emissions by improving energy efficiency,
reducing demand and increasing the use of renewables and other
emerging technologies. Britain is scheduled to close all but one of
its existing nuclear reactors by 2023, leaving a shortfall of 20 GW
in generating capacity.
The UK Energy White Paper, published in 2003, set a plan of action
for reducing CO2 emissions through energy efficiency measures,
renewables and the effective use of an emissions trading scheme, the
document explains. It also restated the government’s commitment to
reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010 below 1990 levels, and to set a
long-term goal of 60% reduction by 2050.
“The government has failed to implement the vision set out in the
Energy White Paper,” it claims. “The promised ‘step change’ in
energy efficiency has yet to emerge, targets for renewable energy
are not being hit and the government has failed to set tough
pollution limits under the EU-wide Emissions Trading Scheme.”
The energy review that was launched earlier this year “offers an
opportunity to get back on track for the goals set out in the White
Paper; however, the public debate around the Energy Review has
focused mainly on whether it will be necessary to construct new
nuclear power stations.” ILEX explored three scenarios to 2025,
including one which includes modest extensions to existing policies
and targets to promote energy efficiency and renewables, and found
that a “renewed focus on reducing demand for electricity, and
promoting renewable energy and microgeneration, could ensure that
the claimed ‘energy gap’ arising from the loss of nuclear and
coal-fired capacity is much less of a problem than many have
claimed.”
The Renewables Obligation, which requires power suppliers to
purchase a proportion of their electricity from renewable energy
sources, “remains the chief policy mechanism” and the scenario
assumes the current targets are met and extended for 2020 and 2025.
In addition, from 2020, microgeneration (small-scale renewables and
other highly efficient decentralised power generation technologies)
supply a small share of total electricity.
Although the use of natural gas to generate electricity is
relatively high by 2025 due to the closure of most coal and nuclear
capacity, the use of gas beyond that period “could be expected to
decline through further development in renewables, reductions in
energy demand and technological innovation,” it suggests. “As old
nuclear power stations are decommissioned and the ageing coal power
fleet is shut down, it is quite possible to replace them with
renewables and limited new gas-fired capacity.”
“The government must introduce policies to ensure that renewables
deliver 20% of the UK’s electricity by 2020, and 25% by 2025,” it
recommends. “It must do more to support a diversified portfolio of
renewable energy technologies, including biomass, solar, wave and
tidal technologies.”
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