The Renewable Energy Association (REA) is urging the House of Lords to back Energy Bill amendments concerning three crucial issues when the Bill is debated this week on Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th November.
The first set of amendments – 60,62 and 64 - concern market access for independent generators and is designed to enable independent generators achieve the reference price for their power sales and compete with major utilities. Up to 50 percent of the £110 billion investment required to ensure energy security and decarbonisation objectives through to 2020 is expected to be delivered by independent generators.
Amendment 75 concerns energy storage and commits the government to developing an energy storage strategy to enable energy users to derive maximum value from decentralised and intermittent renewable electricity, particularly solar, wave and wind.
Amendment 76 commits the government to developing a strategy to phase out the landfilling of all organic wastes so that they can be used for composting and energy generation. This will significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The amendments are crucial, particularly in the light of the narrow voting down of the 2030 decarbonisation target next year.
“The narrow defeat of the 2030 decarbonisation amendment is very disappointing” said REA Chief Executive Dr Nina Skorupska. “This means the Government must commit to a 2030 EU renewable energy target to demonstrate its long-term political will to the green economy. Improving market access for independent generators is critical to the Energy Bill’s success. Boosting competition by enabling independent generators to access the market is good for consumers and vital for British jobs and businesses. This is a real opportunity to do something to boost competitiveness at a time when competition in the market is under intense scrutiny.”
The ability to store wind, wave and solar electricity generated at times of high supply or low demand and deploy it at times of low supply or high demand will become more and more important as the share of renewable electricity in the UK increases added Dr Skorupska. Government must get ahead of the curve on energy storage.
“Finally, landfilling organic waste has no place in a green economy” Dr Skorupska concluded. “There is a tremendous amount of value that can be derived from biowastes through composting and anaerobic digestion, both in terms of physical resource and business opportunities for the rural economy.”
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