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Energy Bill: financial incentives needed to boost green energy
29 April 2008
The Energy Bill €" which receives its Third Reading in the House of Commons tomorrow - must be amended to encourage homes, businesses and communities to install renewable energy systems such as solar panels, says Friends of the Earth.
Friends of the Earth's Low Carbon Homes campaigner, Dave Timms, said:
"Homes, businesses and communities could generate up to 40 per cent of UK electricity if they fitted renewable energy systems such as solar panels and wind turbines.
"This would play a significant role in tackling climate change and generate thousands of jobs. But a financial incentive is needed to make this happen.
"The Energy Bill must be amended to guarantee a premium payment for all the green energy generated by householders, businesses and local communities, and help make Britain a world leader in cutting carbon dioxide emissions."
An amendment to the Bill has been tabled €" supported by Friends of the Earth €" requiring energy companies to give long-term contracts that would guarantee a premium price for all renewable energy generated by homes, businesses and communities. The scheme, known as a feed-in tariff, would make renewable technologies significantly more cost-effective to install.
UK homes are responsible for 27 per cent of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions. Research by the Energy Saving Trust concludes that up to 40 per cent of the UK's electricity could be generated by small-scale renewable energy systems.
Feed-in tariff schemes operate in seventeen European countries. The scheme has been especially successful in Germany, which now has 200 times more solar power and more than 10 times more wind power than the UK and employs 250,000 people in renewable energy €" compared with just 7,000 in the UK.
Notes
1. Pop star Lily Allen €" who has recorded at a solar-powered studio in London €" is backing the campaign for feed-in tariffs.
www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
solar_power_makes_lily_all_28042008.html
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
