The aim of the study – undertaken by Arup - is to provide baseline data to inform a consultation this summer on support levels for a range of renewable electricity technologies for the period 2013-17 under the Renewables Obligation. The study is an independent assessment of scope and potential of technologies, and not a statement of government policy.
“It is vital that our support for renewable electricity both encourages investment and represents value for money for consumers,” said Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy. “This study provides a detailed picture of generation costs and deployment potential for a wide range of technologies to inform our work in this area.”
DECC commissioned Arup in October 2010 to review the market costs and the potential of eligible renewable electricity technologies to provide the economic and technical evidence to underpin the revision of the RO bands. The report suggests there is huge potential to expand the use of renewable energy technology across the country, but the group notes that it will be up to Government, industry and the public to decide how to overcome the barriers to greater use.
Simon Power, technical director for the study at Arup, comments: “Our research indicates that by 2020 renewable sources could provide 35% of the UK’s energy generating capacity. Indeed, in many cases the generation potential of these technologies is greater than we previously expected.
“We have taken into consideration costs and barriers to deployment – from planning policy, to skill levels, and the availability of land, materials and equipment. However, this report is not designed to say one solution is better than another. Rather, it provides the Government and other stakeholders with a comprehensive evidence base to make economic and political decisions.”
Levels of constraints
Arup’s team looked at three levels of constraints that could affect potential annual energy generation from renewable sources – low, medium and high – modelling the effect of changes in output under different scenarios.
The analysis also took into account barriers to deployment – such as planning legislation, the availability of land, skilled labour and equipment, materials or fuel, as well as the costs of connection to the Grid. The research also considers investment and running costs of the various technologies using data collated with assistance from Ernst & Young.
Arup’s independent research provides the UK government with one of the most comprehensive analyses available for making decisions about the future of renewable energy in the UK.
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