The UK government has opened up its low-carbon energy policy by giving people the chance to take and influence the decisions about the nation's energy future.
A new online simulation, My2050, went live today to give the public the chance to help shape the big decisions about the nation’s energy future.
Whether building more nuclear power stations, move everyone to electric cars, or put solar panels on every roof, the choice is the nation's, as long as the 2050 target to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent is achieved, at the same time as keeping the lights on.
Launched today in London by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), My2050 is a user-friendly web application designed to help the public have a go at making the choices faced when it comes to moving to a secure, low carbon economy, and to let DECC know what they want 2050 to look like.
The My2050 simulation lets the public choose the UK's future energy mix, from fossil fuels to nuclear power, onshore and offshore wind turbines, biofuels and solar panels on homes.
And they are also able to manage demand for fuel and electricity, by changing the ways and temperatures to which people heat their homes, shifting more travel onto public transport or electric vehicles, and making business greener.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said: "There's no silver bullet solution to the UK's energy future.
"This project is about getting to grips with the hard choices and trade-offs which need to be made, choices which will affect our homes, communities and the way we travel.
"We can't afford to leave it till tomorrow - so get involved today."
Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Tony Bosworth said: "This new online simulator shows the difficult choices the UK faces to meet it climate targets, but the longer we delay taking action the harder and more expensive it will become.
"There are also huge opportunities - building a cleaner, safer future will create hundreds of thousands of new green jobs, slash energy waste and reduce our dependency on ever more expensive fossil fuels."
In addition to launching the My2050 simulation, the Government has also updated its more technical counterpart, the 2050 Calculator, which gives a more detailed look at the UK’s energy and emissions system based on the physical and technical limits of different technologies across the supply and demand side.
This launch of the updated 2050 Calculator follows extensive discussion with engineers, environmental groups, energy producers and many others to build a more accurate picture of the UK’s future energy potential.
To promote this launch, DECC is hosting a 2050 Pathways Debate on the DECC blog from 3 March, including contributions from Mark Lynas, National Grid, Energy Technologies Institute, and Friends of the Earth. This will be thrown open to public participation on Monday 7 March for a discussion aimed at getting to the heart of the difficult energy issues the UK will have to deal with over the coming years.
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