Can Britain Lead the World in Energy Production?

Following on from our last couple of posts about how committed the government is to green issues. (How green is the coalition government? and vision of green government is wilting.) In this article we are going to look at the landmark opportunity for this government to lead the world in revamped energy production that reduces carbon dioxide emissions to 390 million tonnes in 2027, from the current 550, and possibly even to 200 by 2050.

The Committee on Climate Change will present a budget to the cabinet this week containing proposals that could be made law by June. The proposals will include increased investment in the current technologies of nuclear power which, by 2027, will generate 40% of the countries power whilst it is currently around 20%. By 2027 carbon emitting methods should only be responsible for around 20% of the country's electricity with the proviso that the emitted carbon dioxide using the 'carbon capture and storage' system (CCS); a technology still being developed. The remaining 40% should be comprised of renewable energy sources, many of which are being developed, to become more efficient and realistic options for electricity generation.  

The CCS system is based on the idea that emitted carbon dioxide can be stored underground in now empty airtight caverns that once housed reserves of oil and gas. This is still an unproven technology but if successful it would be a viable way to store a limited amount of greenhouse gas.

The renewable energy sources that could be legitimate options for the UK utilise the country's island geography. Tidal and wave electricity generation are seen as potentially two huge sources of power with the large volume of water available to us that is prime for exploitation given its hugely strong tides. Through the country's exploitation of North Sea oil much marine engineering expertise has been built up so developing the technology is certainly realistic. Similarly, wind power through on-shore and off-shore wind farms will be used as a renewable source building on the current ones off the shores of Essex and Kent.

Photo by Dirk Ingo Franke.

Vision of Green Government is Wilting

Following up on our blog post from a couple of weeks ago exploring how green the coalition government is we have a new one as to whether the pledge by David Cameron to be the "greenest ever."

Jonathon Porritt, a former government advisor, audited 75 policies in a study funded by Friends of the Earth and found only 6 could be considered as being highly successful. Such successes have included scrapping airport expansions in the south-east, including ditching Heathrow's new runway, incorporating smart meters into 30 million homes and the world's first Renewable Heat Incentive.

Porritt mentioned a number of pro-environment policies that had been scrapped like a planned rise in aviation tax and the failure so far of the green investment bank to get of the ground. During the last general election campaign George Osborne pledged "if I become chancellor, the Treasury will become a green ally, not a foe." However, in practice we have seen the Treasury keep a tight grip on its purse strings when it comes to funding green policies. What we find is a combination of under funded schemes, a shackled Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) or encouraging government to reject new carbon reducing measures.

As Mary Creagh, the shadow environment secretary for Labour, remarked, "the government has tried to sell of our forests, cut investment in flood defences by 27%, delayed on the waste review and Water White Paper and abolished the Sustainable Development Commission. That's not a green vision but an abject failiure of the government to get to grips with the environment."