The UK’s leading climate change commentators, decision-makers and influencers are in agreement that the Government’s bold set of carbon-busting measures is the first step towards a greener future.
Despite fears this week from the business lobby organisation CBI that an over-reliance on renewable methods such as wind was unrealistic and would cause emission targets to be missed, other organisations lauded the commitment to create jobs in the process of obtaining a sustainable future.
Reaction to today’s series of announcements included:
Lord Adair Turner, Chair of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), was supportive of the initiatives. He said: “This sends a clear signal that the future of Britain’s economy is a low-carbon one, and a clear message to world leaders that Britain is serious about negotiating an ambitious settlement at Copenhagen. It is vital that we achieve both this global commitment and support here at home for deep emissions cuts required to reduce risks of dangerous climate change.
“We welcome the Government’s White Paper, which is a useful step towards a detailed plan for meeting carbon budgets. It provides a good foundation for achieving dramatic emissions cuts to be made in the power sector, in buildings, transport and industry, over the next five, 10 and 15 years.”
Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust, was similarly upbeat about the direction of the Government’s strategies. He stated: “We need a six-fold increase in renewable energy generation in just 11 years. This can be achieved but will require not just a transformation in technology, but in political, economic and industrial thinking.
“This was the test of the strategies published today. Do they signal the Government intervention needed to ensure barriers to deployment, like planning, are ripped down? Do they unleash a new wave of industrial activity to ensure the UK, like other countries, captures the real economic benefits from this clean-tech revolution? And will it set long-term price signals to boost investor confidence and trigger the massive
shift in financing needed?
“Today's announcements are very welcome because they significantly reduce investment risk, make some clear choices on UK technology advantage, and tackle some of the key barriers to deployment. But the true test of this new clean-tech industrialism is how this new policy framework drives the action and investment needed from business.
“To deliver this project we will need Herculean effort, and sustained political and engineering action. We can boost our economy, create new industries and new jobs, but we must take action now or risk letting this tremendous opportunity slip between our fingers.”
Meanwhile, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) welcomed the introduction of a ‘pay as you save’ initiative. EST Chief Executive Philip Sellwood commented: “People tell us that the biggest barrier that stops them from making their homes more energy efficient is the need to find money to pay for the upfront costs.
“Our research shows that householders are more likely to make larger investments, including micro-generation and solid wall insulation, if the costs can be spread through the savings they make on their energy bills. We look forward to working with Government on the first 350 Green Finance projects and assessing the results to see how best to roll this out nationally.
“The other key to helping people take action is to supply high-quality consistent information on ‘the possible’ for their homes, but it has to be from an impartial and expert source. The Energy Saving Trust will be expanding the support it gives to make our advice more personalised, more detailed and more targeted to individuals.”
The EST also supported the introduction of ‘clean energy cash-back schemes’, cash incentives for homeowners who create their own low-carbon energy. But they warned cash-back schemes on their own are not enough. People still need detailed technical advice and confidence in tried-and-trusted technologies before they invest in larger measures and the EST has vowed to support the Government in this initiative.
There was endorsement of the Government’s Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) from the UK’s wind, wave and tidal industry, which today backed the initiative as a clear, detailed roadmap on how the country will reach its target of generating 15 percent of energy consumption from renewables.
Maria McCaffery MBE, Chief Executive of BWEA, the UK's leading renewable energy trade association, said: “We welcome the Government's commitment to delivering on the 2020 targets. They have rightly ignored the siren calls to abandon wind as the driving force for reaching the targets.
The RES provides a clear routemap for the growth of a new £60 billion industry and the creation of 60,000 UK jobs. However, industry is now looking for a cross-party consensus on the detail of delivery. This will help convince investors that the country is serious about fighting climate change and developing domestic, renewable sources of energy.”
BWEA expressed surprise that, while the overall strategy places a strong emphasis on wind, the Government had not taken the opportunity to give confidence to investors by clearly stating its ambition for the size of the sector, especially offshore. It also argued that the Government needs to put in place stronger measures to encourage local authority planners to approve wind energy schemes and to deliver the strategic grid network expansion vital to developing the UK’s renewables resources.
McCaffery concluded: “We are at a point where industry, Government and the people of this country have a converging interest in protecting the UK's environment, while ensuring our long-term energy security.
“We know that our 2020 targets can be met: the UK is currently world leader in offshore wind, in wave and tidal energy, and in small systems. We are on the threshold of a new energy era and need just one more decisive push over the next 10 years to deliver on our targets, and move to a low-carbon economy. The RES is the roadmap we have been waiting for, and we now need to set our sights squarely on implementation.”
Juliet Davenport, founder and CEO of Good Energy, the UK’s only dedicated 100 percent renewable electricity supplier, said: “We welcome the Government finally putting the right pieces in place to form a credible energy strategy for the future.
“However, the real test will be whether they can now join the dots and get the support of the public behind it. We have fantastic wind and other renewable resources in this country, which we should make more of and which could ensure the UK’s future economic and energy security. At Good Energy we’ve already proved that measures like Feed-in Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentives can work on a commercial scale so it is about time the Government caught up.”
Jo Butlin, Head of Retail at Smartest Energy, the UK’s largest purchaser and supplier of electricity from the independent generation sector, said: “We are pleased that the Government has recognised that energy security requires energy diversity, and that this must include both nuclear and renewable. However, we don’t think the proposals go far enough in recognising and supporting the efforts of independent renewable energy producers.
“We would urge the Government not to simply rely on the large utilities to deliver the solutions. It is the legions of independent, decentralised generators – from farmers to waste producers – who continue to provide energy supply, security and diversity across the country and who are the future of Britain’s energy landscape. It is these energy entrepreneurs who really need support, not the larger players. The Government must listen to the independent sector, both generation and supply, and not be pushed into a corner by the Big Six.”
Tim Yeo, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, was also positive but with some reservations that the White Paper doesn’t go far enough. He stated: “The Government's low-carbon strategy is a welcome step in the right direction - and the kind of concerted approach our committee has repeatedly called for. However, the scale of action still doesn't match the challenge and the Government has largely ducked the big burning issue of coal-fired power stations. Replacing coal-fired power stations with new ones will lock Britain into high emissions for decades, unless the Government sets a deadline by which all coal power stations have to capture and store most of the carbon they produce.
“We need a massive step change to move to a low-carbon economy – tacking some new policies on a business-as-usual model is not enough. The work of the Environmental Audit Committee has shown that there are serious questions on issues like the reliance on credits to meet budgets, the ability of the EU-ETS to encourage low-carbon investments, and the role that coal might play in our energy mix.”
Peter Young, Chairman of the Aldersgate Group, said: “Today represents a notable landmark for UK economic and climate change policy. The combination of publishing a detailed carbon roadmap and corresponding industrial strategy will help to safeguard competitiveness for business, new green jobs for the workforce and rising prosperity for all.”
Dr Steve Mahon, Chief Investment Officer for Low Carbon Accelerator, the venture capital company focused on low-carbon products and services, said: “While the measures to encourage renewable energy are welcome, this really means we have to shift our focus and start working on a far smarter grid and smarter appliances in order to balance and stabilise the electricity load and prevent future power surges and blackouts.
“These smart-grid technology companies exist in the UK and have already attracted venture capital and industry investment. It is time they were given the same supports that the renewable sector gets as they are a vital part of our energy mix. Other grids around the world will suffer similar problems as they increase decentralisation, opening up huge opportunities for our fledgling smart-grid firms.”
Colin Challen, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change, expressed doubts about the impact of today’s announcements: “If we doubled our effort or trebled it then we could really take off and demonstrate the practicability and the affordability of these new technologies. The kind of half-measures which governments in the developed world generally have been making really need to be thrown out and replaced with some full-blooded enthusiasm for renewable energy, energy efficiency and so on.
“I don't think that's enough and I don't think that will convince people in the developing world we're serious about tackling climate change.
“In Germany, renewable energy has created around 300,000 jobs. That is just the kind of thing we need a sign of [in today's white paper], and if that’s not there we need to ask why not.”
John Sauven, Executive Director of Greenpeace, while cautiously optimistic, also revealed fears that there would be insufficient support for the new initiatives within Westminter. He said: “If this plan becomes a reality, it will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs and make Britain a safer and more prosperous country. This will be good for the British economy and, in the long-run, save householders money as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and gas.
“Ed Miliband appears to be winning important battles in Whitehall. But it's crucial that these plans now get full cross-party support and more backing from the chancellor. The renewable energy industry is too important to become a political football and this strategy for green jobs deserves more than the current paltry sums being offered by the Treasury.”
Ruth Davis, Head of Climate Change Policy at the RSPB, said: “We must harness our abundant wind, wave and solar energy to avoid the dangerous climate change that threatens our wildlife. At the same time, we must protect the environment from the blight of bad developments.
“It is a difficult balance and the only way to succeed is through a properly planned approach with a strong lead from Government.
“Many of the proposals in this strategy promise to deliver a sustainable energy revolution. The RSPB will work with this and future Governments to help ensure we can have the renewable energy we need and the wildlife we love.”
Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said: “We strongly welcome the Government's commitment to listening to local communities when deciding on renewable energy infrastructure. Plans for renewable energy should reflect local choices about what mix of technologies is appropriate and where infrastructure should be located.
“We also support the Government's plans for a properly resourced planning system, which can make publicly credible decisions on the strategic siting of renewables.
“CPRE supports a major increase in renewable and low carbon energy generation, alongside an equally major reduction in energy consumption. But there will be no public consent for renewable energy infrastructure if it is centrally imposed or causes great damage to the beauty and tranquillity of England's countryside.”
Peter Nixon, Director of Conservation at the National Trust, said: “The National Trust is already taking positive and practical action to save energy and is replacing polluting fossil fuels with renewable sources of heat and power across many properties. We have 123 installations in place to help reduce carbon emissions, supported by our energy partner, to include green technologies such as solar panels, biomass boilers and air source heat pumps with more initiatives planned.
“Climate change is already having a significant impact on the properties and landscapes in our care. We support the Government's renewable energy strategy, which recognises the value of the UK's natural environment and landscapes and the crucial role planning has to play in safeguarding these assets. Much more needs to be done to reduce overall energy demand and boost local energy generation to help safeguard the UK's wildlife, countryside and heritage for future generations.”
Ben Cosh, Director of The Green Company, said: “Finally the UK Government is doing something to catch up with the rest of Europe. We expect the first year of the feed-in tariff to be extremely busy as people with suitable sites place their orders and lock in the highest tariff rates.
“This is a pattern we have seen in the more established markets of Spain, Germany and other European markets.
“In order for the UK Government to comply with its legal obligation for 2020 it must see 600,000 wind and solar systems deployed across the UK. Due to the limits on the supply chain and also the slow process on planning in the UK, it will be those people who start first that see the most benefit.”
Nick Neal-Useche, Bath around 2 years, 6 months ago