Policy News

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband claimed the strategy would ensure the UK reached its renewable energy targets for 2020

The department for energy and climate change (DECC) has today (July 15) published its Renewable Energy Strategy, outlining how the UK plans to meet its goal of sourcing 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Among the key points included are a full range of mechanisms to provide up to £30 billion in financial support for renewable electricity and heat in the next decade.

This includes the extension and expansion of the Renewables Obligation for large-scale renewable generation, changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to increase the use of sustainable biofuels and the introduction of a Renewable Heat Incentive and 'Feed-in Tariffs' for small scale energy generation.

It also confirms the establishment of a new Office for Renewable Energy Deployment, first mooted last year (see this newenergyfocus story), which will aim to help deliver the targets by strengthening supply chains and improving the planning system.

The document also outlines how the government seeks to develop quicker and smarter grid connection, including investment in a new grid for offshore wind and plans to publish a vision for a 'smart grid' - which aims to manage the variability of renewable sources, save energy and reduce costs - later this year.

There is also a commitment to use more sustainable bioenergy, with the strategy laying out plans to "ramp up the supply and use of biomass for heat, power and transport while ensuring sustainability and protecting the environment".

And, there is an undertaking to move to support new renewable energy sources, with the announcement of five schemes being shortlisted for the Severn Tidal Power project - three barrages and two lagoons - and confirmation that DECC will provide £450 million over the next two years to support investment in "key" new technologies.

The Strategy has been published alongside a 'Low Carbon Industrial Strategy' (see this newenergyfocus story), and a strategy for Low Carbon Transport, as well as the 'UK Low Carbon Transition Plan' white paper - which together aim to outline how the UK will reach that target of reducing its emissions by 34% of 1990 levels by 2020.

Transition Plan 

The Low Carbon Transition Plan aims to ensure that, by 2020, 40% of electricity will be produced by low-carbon sources, 30% of which will be from renewables and the remainder from nuclear and clean coal, with around 50% of the annual emission cuts required between now and 2020 expected to be achieved by making this move.

Other targets it aims to achieve by 2020 are more than 1.2 million people being employed in 'green' jobs, the UK needing to importat half the amount of gas it otherwise would, the average new car emitting 40% less carbon that it does now and seven million homes benefitting from 'pay-as-you-save' home energy makeovers, while more than 1.5 million househoulds will receive support to generate their own clean energy.

Commenting on the plans, energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: "Renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels are the trinity of low carbon and the future of energy in Britain. Under these plans we will get 40% of our electricity from low carbon energy by 2020 and more in the years afterwards."