Energy policy in the UK Essay
UK Energy PolicyThe chief job for the UK and other states has been the unmanaged release of C dioxide into the atmosphere ensuing from the usage of fossil fuels in energy coevals. There is converting grounds that this is doing major alterations in the Earth’s clime, the effects of which could endanger the wellness and supports of so many people on this planet. The major issue that Governments worldwide are now confronting is how to run into increasing energy demands from an of all time increasing universe population. The issue is politically charged, with differing sentiments on how atomic, renewable and energy efficient steps should lend to future energy policy.
From the authoritiess point of position, energy policies must be driven by the purpose of guaranting an equal and unafraid supply of low-cost energy whilst besides decently covering with the production of wastes, including both C dioxide and radioactive stuffs.The Government ‘s figures show that UK C dioxide emanations have increased over the last two old ages, and although Kyoto marks are likely to be reached, the UK’s energy policies must take for cuts in emanations of 60 per cent in the longer term ( defra, 2005 ) . One of the major challenges confronting the UK is how to bring forth electricity whilst understating the harm that can be caused by waste merchandises. In the short to medium term, some scientists comment that it will be hard to cut down dependance on fossil fuels without the aid of atomic power ( Royal Society, 2005 ) . At present, the UK relies on atomic power to bring forth about a one-fourth of the UK’s electricity demands.
All atomic power Stationss are scheduled to make the terminals of their lives within the following 30 old ages. Unless the rate of development of both renewables and energy efficiency steps makes up for the loss of capacity ensuing from the phasing out of atomic power, the UK will go more reliant on fossil fuels, which is evidently non consistent with an overall purpose of drastically cut downing C dioxide emanations. Harmonizing to the Government’s ain estimations, we will be more dependent on fossil fuels to bring forth electricity in 2010 than we were in 1995 ( defra, 2005 ) .Whilst the UK has made comparatively good funded policy committednesss to increasing its renewable energy capacity throughout the 1990s, it would still be difficult to reason with the European Renewable Energy Study description of renewable resources ‘playing an about negligible function in the United Kingdom’s energy balance’ ( TERES, 1994 ) . Since that 1994 study the UK’s attempts have seen it rise merely from 15th to 14th by 2002, on a list ranking the 15 EU states on the fraction of energy they obtain from renewable beginnings. Production sums to merely 3 % of entire primary energy usage in the UK, with 46 % of this figure coming from hydropower ( Smith, 2002 ) .
The grounds for this low figure can be broken down into a figure of classs, including jobs with be aftering ordinances, ill thought out support mechanisms and a general deficiency of political will.Whilst holding provided anterior support for the support of R & A ; D attempts in renewable energy, important attempts in supplying UK policy on developing their potency can be traced to the oil crises of the seventiess, as with the attempts of so many of its rivals. Elliott provides an extended overview of renewable energy R & A ; D support in the UK up the late eightiess, and the implicit in policy footing for it ( Elliott, 1989 ) . Elliott records that wave energy came to be the most favoured of the new renewable energy engineerings in the late seventiess and received considerable authorities support on this footing. This was to alter following a 1982 reappraisal by the Advisory Council on Research and Development for fuel and power ( ACORD ) , along with a study from the Energy Technology Support Unit ( ETSU ) ( HMSO, 1982 ) . This led to the reappraisal of moving ridge as improbable of all time to accomplish a sufficiently low monetary value to do it economically feasible.
Wind had ab initio been classified as one of the engineerings least likely to develop to an economically feasible phase and was therefore provided with merely a low degree of support. ACORD support of air current led to favorable authorities policy and support for R, D & A ; D, though the authorities stood steadfastly against supplying direct fiscal grant assistance to seek to travel the engineering from the presentation stage towards being to the full commercial. This policy of shuning grants was to stay integral up to the 2001 proclamation of ?40 million to back up a limited figure of seaward air current developments and the enlargement of biofuel usage.One of the jobs frequently cited in connexion with the development of renewable and atomic beginnings of energy is that they appear to be uneconomic compared to fossil fuels. This is based on what the Royal Society considers a “flawed assumption” , that there is no cost associated with pumping C dioxide into the ambiance. The Government needs to present a charge for the right to bring forth C dioxide, through for illustration a C revenue enhancement or a system of tradable emanations licenses.
Such steps are required to equilibrate the economic statements environing energy coevals.The terminal of 2001 saw the proclamation of a broad scope of new instruments aimed at revitalizing the UK’s attempts sing renewable energy. Current programs for future policy in the UK Centre on accomplishing a mark of 10 % of all electrical coevals from renewable energy beginnings by 2010. The cardinal mechanism aimed at accomplishing this terminal is the freshly introduced Renewables Obligation ( RO ) . However, to day of the month, non all of these have reached the legislative act books and begun to hold an impact in existent footings.
The authoritiess future energy policy must concentrate on how to guarantee a unafraid supply of low-cost energy, how to pull off the waste merchandises of energy coevals regardless of whether it is in the signifier of radioactive stuffs or C dioxide, and how to increase energy efficiency. The fact that DEFRA is responsible for covering with waste, while Department for Trade and Industry trades with the commissioning and operation of power Stationss, must non forestall a consistent attack to policy that meets our hereafter energy demands whilst decently pull offing any waste that is produced.Bibliographywww.defra.
gov.uk ( accessed 2005 )Elliott D. Renewable energy R & A ; D in the UK: a strategic overview. Technology Analysis & A ; Strategic Management 1989 ; 1 ( 2 ) :223–37.ETSU. Strategic reappraisal of renewable energy engineerings.
London: HMSO, 1982.Smith A Watson J The renewables duty: can it present? Brighton, SPRU, University of Sussex, 2002, 6.TERES. The European Renewable Energy Study. Luxembourg, Advisory Council on Research and Development, European Commission, 1994.
