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UK govt should promote renewable energy, says Committee on Climate Change

More renewables needed to power low carbon Britain , Imperial College London Reporter 18 May 11, The UK needs a portfolio of renewable energy and low-carbon alternative energy sources, according to a new energy review by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which was launched at Imperial in the second week of May.

The scientific experts on the committee, including Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, and Professor Jim Skea (CEP), said that renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and geothermal heat, should be able to contribute at least 30 per cent of all power generated in the UK by the year 2030. This would make a major contribution to reducing the UK economy’s carbon footprint over the next few decades.

The committee also suggested that a higher share of up to 45 per cent would be feasible, if the cost of renewable technologies were to fall and if the government pursued policies that would allow low-carbon technologies to be implemented. Current plans, they say, could lead to unnecessary costs that would be passed on to the average household energy user.

Professor Hoskins said: “In order to limit the risks of climate change, it is necessary to significantly reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. We know this can be done but only by starting now on a major programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop new low-carbon technologies, which themselves could also bring significant economic opportunities.” http://www2.imperial.ac.uk/blog/reporter/2011/05/18/more-renewables-needed-to-power-low-carbon-britain/

May 20, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, UK