Do UK's RE plans need rethinking?

UK Renewable Energy Plans

The Committee on Climate change has released a report calling for a revision of renewable energy policies if the UK are to achieve their carbon cutting goals, and also argues that recent figures suggesting the recession has contributed significantly to a fall in carbon emissions are "misleading".

The committee says cuts of two to three percent a year will be needed in future to meet carbon budgets.

The report claims that without stimulus, targets to reduce power station emissions by 50 percent by 2020 are improbable. With much of the UK government's attention focused on creating a wind power industry with a capacity of 30,000MW, four clean coal demonstration, and two or three nuclear power plants, the report warns that goals are too dependent on a limited number of projects.

Doubts were also raised over whether the expansion, coupled with the EU carbon trading scheme, will deliver the expected results and says it could lead to heavier dependence on imported gas, reports UK newspaper The Telegraph.

More diversity is need to ensure investor risk is reduced and returns on renewable energy investments are more likely.

The committee says that progress on carbon capture and storage demonstration plans is vital to assess whether the clean coal technology can make a viable contribution to reduce emissions.

Improving energy efficiency in homes by 35 percent by 2020 may need a shift from the existing strategy based on electricity companies meeting obligations through specific measures such as the supply of energy efficient light bulbs to a "whole house" approach.

The electric car industry will also need serious stimulus from the government in order to drive initial sales volumes and help manufacturers achieve economies of scale as well as supporting a battery charging infrastructure.

Lord Turner, chairman of the Financial Services Authority and head of the Committee on Climate change, said: "With the carbon budgets in place we need to achieve a step change in the pace of emissions reductions. What we have proposed is achievable and affordable but action needs to be taken now if we are to make our contribution to climate change."

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