Connecting the Future - Greenpeace UK

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Connecting the future: the UK’s renewable energy strategy Sustainable energy systems 52 POTENTIAL CARBON SAVINGS (million tonnes C) ADDITIONAL CARBON Electricity only Heat only Heat and SAVINGS from avoided Biomass source electricity landfill (mtce) ‘Dry’ materials Sawmill conversion products 0.23-0.27 0.38-0.44 0.46-0.54 and arboricultural arisings Energy crops (short rotation 0.03-0.04 0.04-0.06 0.05-0.08 coppice, e.g. willow / poplar and miscanthus) Cereal straw 0.40-0.48 0.65-0.80 0.79-0.97 Paper and card [3] 0.13-0.34 0.21-0.55 0.27-0.71 0.59 Garden / plant waste [3] 0.14 0.23 0.32 0.13 Waste wood [3] 0.91 1.50 2.05 0.45 Sewage sludge (dry solids) 0.05-0.07 0.08-0.11 0.10-0.13 Poultry manure - meat / birds 0.15 0.25 0.30 (60% DM) Sub total 2.04-2.40 3.34-3.94 4.34-5.10 1.17 ‘Wet’ materials Poultry manure - egg laying flock 0.03-0.06 0.04-0.08 0.05-0.10 (30% DM) Dairy cattle slurry (10% SM) 0.15-0.16 0.19-0.20 0.24-0.26 Pig manures (10% DM) 0.04 0.05 0.06 Food waste [3] 0.09-0.16 0.14-0.26 0.19-0.33 0.71 Sub total 0.31-0.42 0.42-0.59 0.54-0.75 0.71 Total 2.35-2.82 3.76-4.53 4.88-5.85 1.88 Table 4.5 Potential annual emission savings from replacing grid electricity and heating oil with biomass Data supplied by D.Turley, Central Science Laboratory except [3] provided by James Vause, Defra Biomass offers the possibility of compensating for the intermittency of other forms of renewable generation, while producing almost carbon-neutral energy (Biomass Task Force 2005). If the UK is to move towards more sustainable energy systems in the future, biomass will have an important role to play in ensuring their reliable delivery. Action to promote the expansion of a viable and sustainable biomass industry in the UK is therefore vital in the short-term if the necessary longer-term strategic shifts in energy systems are to take place. This will involve an urgent change of emphasis in government policy from the use of biomass for co-firing in conventional coal fired power stations to more local, smaller-scale CHP plants. And the establishment of viable supply chains between biomass producers and users. Given the range of players that would be involved, this will not be a simple task, but increasing the level of certainty
Connecting the future: the UK’s renewable energy strategy Sustainable energy systems 53 for producers that they will find a long term, preferably local market for their produce could be started by actively seeking to promote biomass CHP through the RO (or preferably a feed-in tariff) and equivalent support mechanism for renewable heat Thousands of tonnes of oil equivalent 900.0 800.0 700.0 600.0 500.0 400.0 300.0 200.0 100.0 Geothermal amplifiers Municipal solid biodegradable waste combustion Straw combustion, farm waste digestion, short rotation coppice Wood combustion industrial Wood combustion domestic Sewage sludge digestion Landfill gas Active solar heating 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Figure 4.5: Renewable energy use for heat and electricity, 1996–2006 Source: DTI 2007a, Chart 2 4.3 Conclusions: sustainable energy systems As with action to reduce energy intensity, the mechanisms the government has so far put in place to reduce the carbon intensity of the UK economy show a remarkable lack of ambition and offer little prospect of the country meeting its provisional EU target of 15% of energy provided by renewable sources by 2020, or the 26–32% cut in CO2 emissions proposed by the Climate Change Bill for the same date. The Renewables Obligation is the main mechanism intended to encourage the growth of renewable technologies, but it has so far failed to achieve its aims. The proposed revisions to the RO are unlikely to correct the failings in the mechanism completely because they do not address the fundamental lack of certainty for investors. The RO should therefore be abandoned for new projects and a feed-in tariff established in its place to provide improved investor confidence and so stimulate higher levels of deployment of both established and emerging renewables technologies. On the basis of European experience, a feed-in tariff approach would also reduce the costs to the consumer of encouraging renewable technologies. Another programme for encouraging renewables, the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, seems to have been successful in encouraging individuals and organisations to engage in small-scale renewables projects. In view of this success, the government should extend the scheme rather than allowing it to end in 2009. It makes no sense to discard the programme before the
Page 1 and 2: Connecting the future: the UK’s r
Page 5 and 6: Introduction 56 Tomlinson Grove is
Page 9 and 10: 01 Energy systems Win Pro Energy te
Page 21 and 22: 21 03 Reducing energy intensity: ef
Page 37 and 38: 37 04 Sustainable energy systems Th
Page 51: Connecting the future: the UK’s r
Page 55 and 56: 55 05 Broader system issues 98% of
Page 61 and 62: Connecting the Future: the UK’s r
Page 77: Connecting the future: the UK’s r

Connecting the Future - Greenpeace UK

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?