OXFORD, UK, August 12, 2008.
Pöyry Energy
Consulting has released a report commissioned by the
WWF-UK
and Greenpeace UK,
investigating the implications of the UK meeting its 2020 Renewable Energy
Target.
The report, ‘Implication of the UK meeting its 2020 renewable energy target’, finds that if the UK Government is able to achieve its commitments to meet EU renewable energy targets and its own plan to reduce demand through energy efficiency, major new conventional power stations will not be needed to meet Britain’s electricity requirements up to at least 2020.
However, Pöyry says there is a substantial need for major new thermal power plant development over this time frame. The report also concludes that a strong drive for energy efficiency and renewable energy can reduce emissions and assist energy security.
The report considered six scenarios for meeting Britain’s commitments to deliver on the binding EU renewable energy commitments for 2020 and for future electricity demand drawing on both EU and UK targets for energy efficiency. It also assessed whether any additional capacity for conventional sources would be needed to secure the UK’s electricity needs.
It concluded that there would be no role for such plants, event taking into account the very few days when there is little or no wind. These scenarios represent a radical shift away from the ‘business as usual’ pathway under which new power stations may indeed be needed.
Pöyry says that such a radical shift is precisely what is required by the Government’s stated ambitions on renewables and energy efficiency.
Responding to the report by Pöyry, Philip Wolfe, Executive Director of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) says: “This very timely report is essential summer reading for politicians. Here is solid evidence that energy efficiency and renewables alone can put the UK on a secure footing, both for future energy supply and for mitigating climate change. It is hard to imagine how the public could be better served in these precarious times than by committing the UK to the wholly safe, sane and effective pathway this report sets out.
“Government can hit the ground running next session by supporting the package of new measures the industry is seeking under the current Energy Bill - and by championing ambitious provisions in the EU renewables directive,” he adds.
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