Archived press release

This could be the start of a green energy revolution

25 June 2008

Is this the start of the green energy revolution?

Thursday's renewable energy consultation is a golden opportunity for the Government to tackle the dual challenges of climate change and spiralling fuel prices says Friends of the Earth today (25 June). John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, is launching a consultation on the Government's strategy for meeting EU renewable energy targets this Thursday (26 June).

Friends of the Earth hopes the consultation will signal the end of Britain's attempts to wriggle out of the European targets and the start of a green energy revolution that will bring millions of pounds, thousands of jobs and a clean and secure energy supply to the UK.

Fears that the Government may be attempting to backtrack on its commitments stem from proposals to count investments in renewable developments outside the UK or carbon-capturing technology towards the target of generating 15 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner, Robin Webster said:

“We really hope this consultation signals the start of a green energy revolution in the UK and an end to the piecemeal, negative approach taken so far. We can meet our European targets and build a renewables industry that will bring millions of pounds, thousands of jobs and a clean and secure energy supply to the UK.

“However if we are going to reap the benefits of a shift to green power the Government must not try and wriggle out of EU commitments and focus on delivering a genuine renewable revolution at home in the UK.”

Friends of the Earth briefing

Government to consult on renewable energy strategy

The UK Government will launch a public consultation on Thursday (26 June 2008) into its strategy for meeting European Union plans for a significant rise in the use of renewable energy.

The consultation coincides with accusations that the UK Government is trying to undermine EU green energy commitments - rather than developing a strategy for meeting them.

Friends of the Earth warns that Gordon Brown has a choice - he can either invest in renewable energy and bring clean power, a booming new industry and thousands of jobs to the UK - or waste yet more money resuscitating an increasingly expensive, polluting and insecure fossil fuel industry.

The environmental campaign group says that Britain can hit the EU's target to generate fifteen per cent of our energy from renewable sources but the Government needs to urgently up its game by launching a massive drive for energy efficiency and supporting the development of a thriving British renewable energy industry. Friends of the Earth wants the consultation to set out a blueprint for achieving this.

The EU renewable energy target

The European Union has agreed that, as part of its strategy for tackling climate change, 20 per cent of all the bloc's energy - such as electricity generation and energy to power road transport - must come from renewable sources by 2020.

The EU has assessed what role each country can play in meeting this target - based on their current renewable energy generation, their GDP and their potential for renewable energy - and allocated targets for each member state.

The UK currently sources only 2% of its energy from renewable sources - but it has the best wind, wave and tidal resource in Europe. It has therefore provisionally been set a target of ensuring that 15 per cent of its energy comes from renewable sources. To achieve this it has been estimated that around 35-40 per cent of UK electricity needs to come from green sources.

UK trying to wriggle out of its EU commitments

Unfortunately, despite promising to champion the fight against climate change,the Government has been trying to weaken proposed European renewable energy legislation by proposing loop holes so that the UK and other countries do not have to cut emissions at home - by suggesting, for example, that green energy investments in countries outside the UK or using carbon-capturing technology should count towards the target. If successful, these proposals would undermine the whole EU Directive.

Concern about this was echoed by a Committee of MPs [1] a few days ago (18 June) who said:

“We are disappointed that the Government is seeking to lower the target of 15 per cent renewable energies by 2020, as proposed in the EU Draft Directive on the promotion of energy from renewable sources."

Renewable energy in the UK

Britain has one of the biggest renewable energy potentials in the Europe. Its abundant wind, wave and solar power could create a new industry worth billions of pounds and tens of thousands of jobs, cut carbon dioxide emissions and help wean us off our increasingly expensive fossil fuel dependency.

But a lack of commitment to green energy means that Britain languishes near the bottom of the EU renewable energy league table - above only Malta and Luxembourg.

The UK has a domestic target to produce 10 per cent of the nation's electricity by 2010 from renewable sources. But the Government's existing strategy will miss even this relatively modest target, with a committee of MPs [2] estimating that we are currently only on track for 6 per cent.

Up to now the Government's enthusiasm for renewable energy has been lukewarm.

For example it is currently opposing calls to boost renewable energy generation from homes, businesses and communities by amending the Energy Bill so that energy firms are required to offer a premium payment (feed-in tariff) for all the green energy supplied to the grid from small green energy systems such as solar panels.

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.

And there are doubts about the Government's commitment to energy efficiency. Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged are taking the Government to court for not doing enough to meet its legal obligation to eradicate fuel poverty. The two charities are campaigning for the Government to develop a far more effective and comprehensive programme of domestic energy efficiency, to end suffering from fuel poverty and tackle climate change [3].

UK's renewable energy strategy - a blue print for a greener future?

Friends of the Earth says that the UK must play its fair share in meeting the EU's renewable energy target - rather than trying to undermine it.

Britain's renewable energy strategy must set out policies for meeting the target, which should include:

Energy efficiency:

Introduce an ambitious programme of energy efficiency on a domestic and industrial level to cut emissions and lift millions of people out of fuel poverty. At the very least the UK must to deliver on its EU commitment to reduce final demand by 20% by 2020 (against predicted levels) - however it is likely they will need to go even further.

Planning: ensure planning guidelines send a clear signal to local and regional authorities to prioritise renewable energy and provide local decision makers with the skills and advice they need to take a lead at a community level.

Industrial policy: invest in and support home grown manufacturing and supply industry's that will drive the green energy revolution, create jobs and boost the economy.

Support scheme: Introduce a financial support mechanism that supports both large and small scale renewable development. This must include a feed-in-tariff system which guarantees a premium price for electricity generated by small scale renewable sources by homes, businesses and communities and exported to the National Grid. The House of Lords is due to vote on proposals to include a feed-in tariff in the Energy Bill within the next few weeks [4].

The Government must also review the current support system for large scale renewable technologies [the Renewables Obligation] to assess whether it is up to the task.

Bio energy: The use of bioenergy - which includes energy from waste wood, straw, waste and energy crops - has a role to play in providing renewable heat and electricity.

But the use of energy crops for transport (biofuels) is highly inefficient and compulsory targets for its use in petrol must be scrapped. There are mounting concerns about the impact that the growth in biofuels could have on people and the environment, as well as evidence that in some cases their production even leads to an increase in greenhouse gases.

Although biomass for heat and electricity can use a more diverse variety of energy sources (like waste streams), strict sustainability criteria must be introduced to protect people and the environment, and an upper limit set for biomass according to what can be produced sustainably in Europe.

Notes

1. www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/21/ ¬
renewableenergy.carbonemissions

2. www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
mps_slam_governments_renew_18062008.html

3. www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
government_sued_for_fuel_p_09042008.html

4. www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
energy_bill_must_be_amende_02062008.html

5. More information about Friends of the Earth can be found at: www.foe.co.uk

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