The Government's roll-out strategy for sources of renewable energy are misguided, according to a highly critical report released today by the Adam Smith Institute and the Scientific Alliance. The UK’s plans for renewables are unrealistic, and these technologies cannot provide the secure energy supply the country needs, the report suggests and it claims present policies will lead to an energy crisis by the middle of this decade. The report states that wind and solar power do little to reduce carbon emissions, as they need large-scale back up generating capacity to compensate for their down times.
The Government's roll-out strategy for sources of renewable energy are misguided, according to a highly critical report released today by the Adam Smith Institute and the Scientific Alliance. The UK’s plans for renewables are unrealistic, and these technologies cannot provide the secure energy supply the country needs, the report suggests and it claims present policies will lead to an energy crisis by the middle of this decade. The report states that wind and solar power do little to reduce carbon emissions, as they need large-scale back up generating capacity to compensate for their down times.
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And with the decommissioning of many of the UK’s coal-fired stations – and nearly all existing nuclear reactors – over the coming decade, the report says energy security is now a priority for policymakers alongside the drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
However, it claims that even ignoring cost issues, problems of intermittency mean that renewable technologies are incapable of making a major contribution to energy security.
The study suggests the Renewable Energy Roadmap for 2020 is hugely overambitious and renewable energy generation is currently 28% below its already reduced target. Subsidising renewable energy also comes at a cost to consumers who pay for it through higher electricity prices.
For further information: http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/analysis/business-analysis/122932-uk%5Cs-renewable-energy-approach-is-%5Cdeeply-flawed%5C%2C-says-new-report.html
Photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Guantanamo_Bay_windmills.jpg
