Can renewable energy sector drive further cuts in UK emissions? Improved electricity storage vital as government eyes tougher greenhouse gas targets. Over Easter the UK set a new record for coal-free power, with the country running for more than 90 hours powered by gas, nuclear, hydro, renewables and imports. The milestone, which beat the 76 hours set last April, comes as the government prepares to ditch coal completely by 2025, and aims for wind generation to provide a third of the country’s electricity by 2030. It’s a remarkable shift for a country that was once among the world’s biggest coal consumers but is now considered a case study among developed economies in how to transition to cleaner power. Moreover, the country is poised to toughen its greenhouse gas emissions targets, a move that would have dramatic implications for the power sector. Next week the Committee on Climate Change, a government advisory panel, will present its opinion on whether the UK should adopt a net zero carbon target for 2050 as part of its climate change goals, compared with the current target of an 80 per cent reduction from 1990 levels. If the government adopts tougher emissions goals, and in the past it has followed the committee’s advice, further decarbonisation of the power sector will be central to meeting the new target, as cleaner power has been the single biggest factor behind the UK’s falling emissions during the past decade. Ahead of the announcement, National Grid, the listed company responsible for balancing power supply with demand, has already begun planning for an electricity system capable of operating with net zero carbon emissions. This would be able to incorporate much higher levels of intermittent power from wind and solar than the system today. The National Grid Electricity System Operator, an independent unit of National Grid, said shifting to a net zero carbon system meant “fundamentally changing the way we think about electricity”. This would include more energy storage, different energy use patterns, and new technologies to keep the grid stable. With fewer sources of consistent “baseload” power and more intermittent power from offshore wind, the system will require more flexible sources. These could include gas plants or imports, that can feed in when renewables sources are low.
FT 24th April 2019 read more »
Teenage activist Greta Thunberg has described the UK’s response to climate change as “beyond absurd”. In a speech to MPs, the Swedish 16-year-old criticised the UK for supporting new exploitation of fossil fuels and exaggerating cuts to carbon emissions. She was invited to Westminster after inspiring the school climate strikes movement. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said “we have not done nearly enough”. In her speech in Parliament on Tuesday, Miss Thunberg said the UK was supporting shale gas fracking, greater exploitation of North Sea oil and gas fields and expanding airports. “This ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind,” she said. She also described the UK’s carbon emissions reduction as the result of “very creative” accounting. The country’s reported 37% reduction in emissions since 1990 was only 10% when aviation, shipping, imports and exports were counted, she said. Miss Thunberg said her generation’s future had been “stolen” so that “a small number of people could make unimaginable amounts of money”.
BBC 23rd April 2019 read more »
Mr Gove responded with praise. “As I listened to you I felt great admiration but also a sense of responsibility and guilt because I recognise I am of your parents’ generation. I recognise we have not done nearly enough to deal with the problem of climate change,” he said. “Suddenly, thanks to the leadership of Greta and others, it has become inescapable that we have to act . . . Greta, your voice has been heard and we are all responsible for making sure that we listen and we respond and that we change.”
Times 24th April 2019 read more »
The i News 23rd April 2019 read more »
Guardian 23rd April 2019 read more »
FT 23rd April 2019 read more »
Some consider the UK to be a leader in the fight against global warming, but Thunberg was fierce in her criticism: “The UK’s active current support of new exploitation of fossil fuels, like for example the UK shale gas fracking industry, the expansion of its North Sea oil and gas fields, the expansion of airports, as well as the planning permission for a brand new coalmine, is beyond absurd.”
Guardian 23rd April 2019 read more »
Rebecca Pow, Conservative MP: while there is much more to be done I wanted to highlight how much is already under way. The UK has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent since 2010, faster than any other G20 country; we are the first country to commit to phasing out coal power by 2025; fossil fuel heating is being phased out of new homes by 2025; new housing will have to engage the “net environmental gain principle” in future to deliver environmental improvements; £52 billion has been invested in renewable energy since 2010 and 400,000 people are now working in low C businesses (many locally); a third of electricity last year was generated from renewables; and the government’s International Climate Fund has provided £5.8 billion to help the world’s poorest adapt to climate change. I am supporting calls to the prime minister to set a before-2050 net zero greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.
Times 24th April 2019 read more »
The Tory party is missing a trick by not embracing green issues. Conservatism should stand for conservation, and it can outflank the left. For reasons of self-interest, as well as the national interest, Theresa May was wrong to decline a meeting with the climate protester Greta Thunberg. The former Tory leader Lord Hague of Richmond thinks the Conservatives and other right-leaning parties across the world need to act fast to prevent environmentalism being co-opted by radical Greens and the left in general. He is right, and not only because the left is less likely to deliver. The motives of Extinction Rebellion activists who have disrupted London transport may be worthy, but their plan to solve Earth’s climate woes through a public sacrifice unseen outside wartime are unrealistic and incapable of winning a wider democratic mandate. A more realistic plan is to tackle it with innovation and the co-operation of business. New green technologies are after all being developed by capitalist enterprises in the West and they, together with tougher government action, are the best way to reduce carbon emissions and cut global pollution.
Times 24th April 2019 read more »
An energy minister has dismissed calls to declare a “climate emergency” despite expressing sympathy with the message of Extinction Rebellion protesters. Claire Perry joked both she and Labour former leader Ed Miliband would have been “out there carrying placards ourselves just a few years previously” as she voiced concerns over some of the methods used by those protesting for action over the climate. But Ms Perry questioned what would be achieved by standing up and declaring a climate emergency, arguing legislation is required to bind her successors to meet targets and prevent a future government seeking to “wiggle out” of its responsibilities. Responding to an urgent question, Ms Perry said she had “mixed emotions” about the protests – noting there is “excitement” that conversations about climate change are moving from niche to mainstream. But she also expressed concern that many of the messages aired “ignore the progress” that is being made – resulting in people feeling “fearful for the future rather than hopeful”. Mr Miliband, asking his questions, said: “People can believe that the tactics of Extinction Rebellion are right or wrong – and the minister obviously believes they’re wrong – but the demonstrators are certainly not wrong about the failure of politics to do anything like what is necessary to fight climate change. They are right.” He said the planet is “warming far faster than we are acting” before he made demands of the Government, asking Ms Perry: “Will she seek to persuade the Prime Minister to declare a climate emergency, as many local authorities have done, to focus minds across government on the centrality of this issue to every department, not just hers?” Mr Miliband went on: “The right response to rebellion on our streets is to produce a revolution in climate leadership – and the time for action is now.” Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire (Bristol West) said: “It’s an emergency right now, it’s an emergency across the world, glaciers are melting, seas are rising… what’s stopping her from declaring a climate change emergency and then treating the problem as an emergency?”
Energy Voice 24th April 2019 read more »
Wind and solar power will need a $13 trillion investment over 30 years to reach emissions targets, as demand for power doubles To put the US$13 trillion investment in perspective, average annual investments in wind and solar would need to grow from around $200 billion globally in the next decade to around $500 billion annually between 2036 and 2050. By then, annual investment in solar and wind would at some point exceed current investment levels in upstream oil & gas. The huge investments needed for a low carbon economy suggest unprecedented business opportunities in the wind and solar industry. The global solar and wind markets will have high growth rates that are expected to last for many years.
ING 24th April 2019 read more »
The UK government has appointed a consortium of businesses and academic bodies to deliver its International 2050 Calculator programme, which aims to support developing countries in rapidly reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and shifting towards more sustainable economic models. Consultancy Mott MacDonald announced on Monday it will be leading the consortium, which also includes partners Ricardo Energy & Environment, Climact, and the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine.
Business Green 24th April 2019 read more »
