Archived press release

New research shows a bright energy future is possible

3 March 2006

New research released today (3 March) by Friends of the Earth shows that the UK can meet its electricity needs, reduce the need for imported natural gas, and tackle climate change without a new nuclear power programme. The research, `A Bright Energy Future,' forms part of the organisation's submission to the Government's Energy Review which is investigating how the UK should meet its future energy needs. Government consultation on the Energy Review is due to conclude in April.

Friends of the Earth used data from industry and academic research to model how Britain's energy sector could develop over the next 25 years if the Government is serious about tackling climate change. The model, which was reviewed by academics and industry representatives, showed that:

• The UK can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from generating electricity by between 48 and 71 percent by 2020 without resorting to nuclear

• Natural gas use for the power sector can be at least stabilised and in many cases reduced - meaning less of a reliance on imports

Friends of the Earth Director, Tony Juniper said:

"Our findings show that a green energy future would be good news for consumers, the economy and the environment. The truth is that we already have the technology to meet our electricity needs, reduce our dependency on imported gas and tackle climate change, and without resorting to a new nuclear programme. The latest science says we have ten years to get control of greenhouse gas emissions, new nuclear stations would take 15 years to come on line. The debate on nuclear power is a dangerous distraction from the real solutions."

In the UK electricity generation is responsible for around a third of carbon dioxide emissions. Many of the old nuclear power stations are nearing the end of their life while coal fired power stations are also facing decisions on their future. This offers an unprecedented opportunity to re-examine how the UK can meet its electricity needs while tackling climate change.

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to take action to combat carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector by:

• Ensuring fossil fuels are used in the most efficient way possible through the promotion of combined heat and power schemes, decentralised energy systems and technologies for `cleaner coal' making power stations `capture ready' for when carbon capture and storage becomes available.

• Doing more to promote renewable sources of electricity: the Government has set a target for 15 percent of the UK's energy to be generated from renewable sources by 2015. However without more ambitious policies which promote a wider range of renewable electricity sources the Government is unlikely to achieve this target, or even begin to tap the enormous potential of renewable energy sources.

• Reducing demand for electricity through new energy efficiency measures: there is the potential to reduce electricity consumption by around 10% percent in the UK by 2020. The government must do far more to promote energy-efficiency policy for industry, the commercial and retail sector and households. If nothing is done, demand will continue to grow.

Friends of the Earths climate campaign, `The Big Ask,' is calling for the introduction of a new climate change law which would force the government to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, by three per cent every year. For more information go to www.thebigask.com.

Notes

A full copy of the report `Bright Energy Future' and graphs showing changes in electricity over time are also available.

Friends of the Earth received comments from 12 experts - seven from industry, one from a consulting firm and four from the academic sector. A full list of names and organisations is available on page 1 of the report.

Friends of the Earth submission to the Government Energy Review will make detailed recommendations for the electricity sector, transport and housing policies.

The Labour government has pledged in three successive election manifestos to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2010 and 60 percent by 2050. However since 1997 carbon dioxide emissions in the UK have risen by 5.5 percent and the UK is no longer on track to meet its Kyoto protocol targets.

Electricity technologies of the future

Energy efficiency

A Government study in 2002 concluded that the country could cost-effectively reduce energy consumption by up to 30 percent through the adoption of current energy efficiency technologies. There are many ways to achieve energy savings in the home and in the workplace. New more efficient technologies, from domestic appliances to office cooling systems and industrial motors are appearing on the market making it easier to reduce consumption and energy bills. For example a programme to replace ordinary light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs could reduce national electricity consumption by at least two percent by no later than 2020 - the equivalent to one nuclear power station. The potential is much higher if we implement a programme to replace all inefficient street lighting and lighting in the commercial sector in the same time period.

Micro-generation

Micro-generation refers to a number of different renewable or highly efficient fossil fuel technologies that can generate heat and / or electricity for people's homes and workplaces. Most are designed to meet domestic needs but more powerful devices are being developed which would have the potential to export excess electricity back to the grid. For example domestic central heating boilers that also generate electricity, small wind turbines for the roof or garden and solar panels.

Combined heat and power

Combined Heat and Power devices and schemes generate electricity locally and so can use the heat which would otherwise be wasted during generation for heating and hot water needs in buildings, offices or industrial processes. CHP schemes are the most efficient way of generating useful energy from fossil or hydrogen fuel and can generate up to 40 percent more useful energy per unit of fuel than large power stations or conventional devices. In a traditional power-plant delivering electricity to consumers, as little as a third of the heat content of the primary energy source (coal, gas, or oil) is used by the consumer. A CHP system converts at least two-thirds and often as much as 90 percent of the heat from the primary energy source to useful purposes.

Decentralised power

Decentralised power is generally defined as electricity that is produced close to the point of use instead of being generated in a remote power station and transmitted along great distances on the transmission and distribution system, with losses along the way. Micro-generation and Combined Heat and Power schemes of all scales fall into this category.

Cleaner coal and gas

New cleaner technologies for using coal and gas power stations have the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The latest technologies include:

Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle technology where coal or biomass is turned to hydrogen before it is burnt to produce electricity. This technology, which is still under development, can reduce the cost of subsequent carbon capture and storage significantly.

Biomass co-firing: plant material such as sugar beet can be burned alongside coal in coal-fired power stations. Using biomass for fuel does not increase the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as long as the harvested plants are replaced. In modified coal power stations as much as 20 percent of the electricity produced could come from co-burning biomass. Biomass can also be burnt in other types of power stations (see below)

Advanced Super Critical Steam Cycle boilers are used in coal-fired power stations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions because less coal is needed to generate the heat energy that turns the steam turbines powering the electricity generators. The latest boilers also allow biomass to be added to the fuel mix.

Combined Cycle Gas Turbine technology is the latest, most efficient way of using gas to produce electricity. Emissions would approach half that of cleaner coal technology.

Renewables

There is huge potential for electricity and heat production from a range of renewable energy technologies fuelled by biomass (plant material), wind, wave, tidal, solar and wind and geo thermal sources.

For example wave power generates electricity from movements of the sea surface, whereas tidal stream installations sit on the sea floor and use the regular ebb and flow of tides. The Carbon Trust estimates that the potential for wave and tidal technologies is to supply up to 20% of UK electricity.

Biomass

Biomass is material of recent biological origin that can be used as a source of energy. It includes trees, crops, algae and other plants, as well as agricultural and forest residues. `Bio-energy' often refers to biomass energy systems that produce heat and/or electricity, while 'bio-fuels' refers to liquid fuels for transportation. Bio-energy can also be used for cooling using absorption chillers that work on the same principle as your refrigerator.

Carbon capture & storage

A process where the carbon dioxide is captured instead of being released into the air and then buried in disused oil or gas fields or other underground deposits. As an example, a consortium led by BP wants to build a pilot electricity plant in Peterhead, near Aberdeen. The carbon dioxide produced and captured would be pumped into the nearby Miller Field in the North Sea. The gas would force out the field's remaining reserves of oil and would then remain stored underground.

The report

A bright future: Friends of the Earth's electricity sector model for 2030 (PDF)

The data

Friends of the Earth's electricity sector model for 2030: Data (PDF†)

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust