Government policy 'failing' renewable energy
Government policy 'failing' renewable energy
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Thursday, 06, Jul 2006 02:55
Renewable energy could play a significant role in meeting the nation's growing energy needs but is being hindered by failures in government policy, the Carbon Trust (CT) has claimed.
Renewable energy, it argues, will meet just ten per cent of the UK's electricity needs by 2020 under the current framework of the Renewables Obligation (RO), rather than the anticipated 20 per cent.
This failure has led the CT to call for changes to the RO, which are outlined in its report Policy Framework for Renewables. If these are adopted the trust believes that renewables would be able to meet up to 13 per cent of the UK's electricity needs by 2015 and 19 per cent by 2020.
A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry said that the trust's figures were "deliberately ambitious" and that progress made so far in wind energy demonstrates that the government's policy is "far from failed".
However, Tom Delay, chief executive of the CT said: "Our report highlights that the current RO is not working as efficiently as it should and to maximise the delivery of renewables, urgent change is needed."
"If we get the right framework in place we can reap the benefits of reduced carbon emissions and strengthened energy security, as well as develop leadership in low carbon technologies," he added.
As well as onshore wind, the trust believes that developing offshore wind could significantly help to fill the emerging energy gap.
The CT was set up by the government to help meet the UK's climate change obligations and works with business and the public sector to achieve this.