Tag Archives: target
UK Misses 2011/12 Renewable Energy Target
26 July 2013 by Annie Reece The UK has missed its 2011/12 target of producing four per cent of energy from renewable sources, and has seen a sharp rise in the use of coal for energy, statistics released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have shown. The ‘ Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics ’ (DUKES), released yesterday (25 July) show that provisional calculations put the UK’s renewable energy consumption at 4.1 per cent, up from the 2011 rate of 3.8 per cent. According to the report, this was due to ‘significant growth in the contribution of renewable electricity, [whilst] the renewable heating contribution remained constant, but the renewable transport contribution fell’. Despite the rise in renewable energy consumption, across 2011 and 2012, the UK achieved an estimated average of 3.94 per cent, less than the 4.04 per cent target set out in the 2009 EU Renewable Directive . However, the DUKES report explains that the figure is within the ‘margin of error’: ‘Calculating the average contribution across these two years [2011/12] shows that provisionally the UK achieved 3.94 per cent, thus falling short by 275 ktoe (thousand tonnes of oil equivalent, or 3,200 gigawatt hours) of directive compliant renewable energy.’ It continues: ‘DECC’s normal practise in reporting deployment of renewables is to calculate rates to one decimal place, which recognises the uncertainty in estimates of both renewables and final energy consumption… As such whilst the estimate of 3.94 per cent is our best estimate, users should be aware that the uncertainty attached to this estimate would cover the 275 ktoe shortfall.’ Missed target comes as ‘little surprise’ Chief Executive of the Renewables Energy Association (REA), Gaynor Hartnell, cited government’s recent distancing from biomass as a contributing factor to the missed target: “This is a near miss”, she said. “Had Government interfered less with its existing policies for biomass power, stuck to its timetable on the Renewable Heat Incentive, or laid out a clear framework for biofuels, then it would almost certainly have met its indicative target.” Peter Rolton, former advisor on government’s Renewables Advisory Board and current Chairman of engineering company the Rolton Group added: “Whilst it’s obviously disappointing that the UK has missed its interim renewables target, it can come as little surprise. Substantial overestimations of the potential for marine technology have been compounded by investor uncertainty throughout the sector and the significant underinvestment in bioenergy, as Gaynor Hartnell has rightly pointed out. This is in addition to the poor publicity of supposedly flagship schemes such as the Green Deal, which in itself provides a continuing demonstration of governmental mismanagement . “The powers that be have focused solely on the low-hanging fruit of solar and off-shore wind and have run a mile from the more challenging technologies: the existing built environment, district heating, biomass power generation and biofuels. These big-hitters are vital if we are to meet the legally binding 2020 target, and it is definitely time for foot-to-the-floor strategy if the UK is to succeed.” Looking at electricity generated from renewables, the figures were more promising, with DUKES citing that electricity generated from renewable sources in the UK in 2012 increased by 19 per cent on a year earlier, and accounted for 11.3 per cent of total UK electricity generation (up from 9.4 per cent in 2011). Further, the installed electrical generating capacity of renewable sources rose by 27 per cent in 2012 (from 2011 levels), ‘mainly as a result of a 27 per cent increase in onshore wind capacity, 63 per cent increase in offshore wind capacity, and solar photovoltaic capacity increasing by 71 per cent (due to high uptake of Feed in Tariffs)’. Under the EU directive, the UK is required to produce 15 per cent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. Key points The DUKES report was released amongst three other energy related publications: ‘ UK Energy in Brief ’, ‘ Energy Flow Chart ’, and ‘ Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom ’ (web only) providing ‘detailed analysis of production, transformation and consumption of energy in 2012’. Key points from these reports include: primary energy production fell by 10.7 per cent from the year before, due to ‘long-term decline and maintenance activity on the UK Continental Shelf’; final energy consumption rose by 1.7 per cent, reflecting ‘the colder weather in 2012’. However, the DECC states that ‘on a temperature adjusted basis’, energy consumption was down 0.7 per cent, ‘continuing the downward trend of the last eight years’; consumption of diesel road fuel exceeded the consumption of motor spirit in 2012 by over 8 million tonnes due ‘in part to increased substitution of diesel for motor spirit use in the UK’s car fleet’; energy imports (mainly from Norway) were at record levels in 2012, up 6.9 per cent on 2011 levels; the domestic sector was the largest electricity consumer in 2012 (114.7 terawatt hours (TWh)), while the industrial sector consumed 97.8 TWh, and the service sector consumed 101.0 TWh. Industrial consumption decreased by 4.4 per cent, while domestic consumption rose by 2.8 per cent; energy consumption in the transport sector fell by one per cent between 2011 and 2012; the increase in residential gas use, due to the cooler weather in 2012, ‘combined with fuel switching away from gas to coal for electricity generation’, provisionally increased emissions of carbon dioxide by four per cent in 2012; the energy industries’ accounted for 3.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product. Coal forms more than a third of UK energy mix Despite the fact that a fifth of the UK’s power plants (including coal and gas) are expected to come offline by 2020, the UK saw a higher share of electricity produced from coal due to ‘increasing gas prices’. More than a third (39 per cent) of electricity came from the carbon-heavy source in 2012 (however, the domestic sector accounted for only 1.1 per cent of total coal consumption). This rise in coal reliance marks a 10 per cent increase on coal use from 2011. The sharp increase in coal use marks another blow to the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), which was set up to deter businesses from using heavy-emission fuels by requiring them to buy permits for every tonne of carbon dioxide they emit. However, the system has proven ‘too weak’ to work effectively, with the price of the permits dropping to under €5 a piece earlier this year as member states and companies flooded the market with extra permits. The EU is now of the mind to withhold (or ‘backload’) ETS permits until 2018-20 to ‘rebalance supply and demand and to reduce price volatility without any significant impacts on competitiveness’ until it decides on ‘more structural measures’. Speaking of the UK’s reliance on coal, Dr Doug Parr, Greenpeace’s Chief Scientific Advisor said that the government now needed to do more to reduce dependence on the ‘dirty fuel’. He said: “Old coal power plants are dominating the energy mix and far from helping us get off the coal hook, the government’s energy bill could entrench the situation.” Indeed, government has been criticised by businesses and environmental groups alike for failing to bring forward a target to decarbonise the electricity sector by 2020. Parr continued: “Not only are old coal plants exempt from carbon pollution limits, but the government also proposes to use money from consumer bills to pay coal plants to stay open well into the next decade. “The government needs to make good on its promises and reduce our reliance on this dirty fuel.” Read the ‘ Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics ’. Continue reading
So The 2030 Decarbonisation Target Didn’t Pass – What Now?
04 Jun 2013, 16:30 Robin Webster MPs in the House of Commons today voted down a proposed new target to virtually decarbonise the power sector by 2030. So where does that leave plans to switch to low-carbon energy sources while keeping consumer bills down? The UK’s Energy Bill , now in its third reading in Parliament, contains a package of measures aimed at changing the way the UK generates electricity, shifting the country from fossil fuels to nuclear and renewables. But government advisor the CCC has said if the government wants to meet its legally-binding emissions reductions, it should create an interim target to virtually decarbonise the power sector by 2030. Conservative MP, Tim Yeo, who is chair of Parliament’s Energy and Climate Change (ECC) Committee, introduced an amendment to the bill that would have created the target, against the wishes of the Tory whips. But despite an energetic campaign in favour, the government opposed the measure and it was voted down by 290 to 267. So where does that leave us – and what happens now? The 2030 target – not dead yet The first thing to note is that the 2030 power decarbonisation target is in the bill. But the government has delayed discussion of whether it will be enacted until 2016 – or until after the CCC provides another round of advice. This is an odd position, however. The CCC has been very clear that it sees the decarbonisation target as fundamental to the government’s plans to reduce emissions. It doesn’t look that likely that it’s going to change its mind. The 2016 date is widely seen as a way of kicking the 2030 target into the long grass . No target, no long term plan? The government has promised to bump up renewables supply to 15 per cent of total energy by 2020 – and it has made a plan for how to do it. But there is confusion about the government’s intentions for renewables in the longer term. The government’s gas strategy , launched in December, contained no less than three different future scenarios for the future development of the country’s energy sector. One of the scenarios proposed significantly expanding the amount of power the country gets from gas – threatening emissions reductions targets. The CCC say the mixed messages coming from government are confusing. Investors need to know what the policy landscape – and what the subsidy levels – are going to look like if they are going to put money into big long-term projects like offshore wind farms. A variety of businesses agree. Could the ETS do the same job? But not everyone does. Thinktank, Policy Exchange , says the carbon cap created by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) means that it doesn’t make sense to set targets for the power sector – as any emissions reductions made over here would allow countries elsewhere in the EU to increase their emissions: “… British wind turbines will allow Polish coal to continue burning. While the ETS remains in place, the only way to reduce emissions from electricity further is to tighten the ETS cap.” There’s a practical problem with this argument, however. The European carbon price hit a record low at the beginning of this year and the scheme is struggling to stay afloat . If the UK waits for the ETS to reform before it sets any targets for the power sector, it could be waiting a while. What does the vote mean for consumer energy bills? There have been endless arguments over recent months about what renewables targets – and the energy bill as a whole – could mean for consumer energy bills. In a recent report, the CCC argued that a clear commitment to hitting the 2030 target could save the country somewhere between £25 and £45 billion. That’s partially because the country would avoid the cost of relying on gas. But it’s also because it would avoid the costs of decarbonising in a hurry after 2030. It’s worth noting that the CCC’s cost savings only apply if the country maintains its commitments to the climate change act. According to the committee, the 2030 target would essentially create a stepping stone towards the cheapest possible route to cutting emissions. Abandoning the targets in the climate change act could be cheaper still. But that relies on the price of fossil fuels like coal and gas staying low over the next couple of decades – not always a safe bet . Do we need targets? Predicting what’s going to happen to energy policy ten or fifteen years from now involves a lot of unknowns. Nuclear power stations might not get built, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology might not work commercially, or offshore wind could prove prohibitively expensive for example. Conservative MP, Charles Hendry , argues that this means it’s not a good idea to introduce the decarbonisation target: “…we would be requiring it [the target] to be set without knowing that it can be met, and that cannot be a responsible decision for government to make, when the costs of getting it wrong would have to be picked up by consumers for decades to come.” Of course, setting a target without knowing how the country is going to meet it isn’t exactly unprecedented in this area. Rumour has it that Tony Blair only signed up to an EU target for the expansion of renewables by mistake – because he got electricity and energy mixed up. The resulting EU-mandated target – which requires the country to expand the amount of renewable energy it uses to 15 per cent of total supply by 2020 – has created considerable controversy. But it has also driven expansion of UK renewables like never before. In the end, the immediate absence of the 2030 decarbonisation target from the energy bill won’t prevent investment in low carbon technologies, or stop the country hitting its emissions targets. But deadlines – even not very logical deadlines – are motivational, and create certainty about where the country is going. If a variety of energy businesses, investors and the committee on climate change are to be believed, today’s vote probably made it just a little bit less likely that the UK will hit its emissions targets. UPDATE: According to BusinessGreen , campaigners are hopeful that the amendment for the target could pass when the energy bill is discussed in the House of Lords. This would mean MPs have to discuss the issue again. 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China Sticks to Carbon-Intensity Target, Dismisses CO2 Cap
By Alex Morales – Jun 4, 2013 China’s Chief Climate Negotiator Su Wei reaffirmed his nation’s commitment to lower emissions relative to economic output while dismissing reports that it will adopt an absolute cap on greenhouse gases . The Financial Times and Independent newspapers both said last month that China is looking to introduce a cap in 2016. The Independent cited a proposal by the National Development and Reform Commission, the economic planning agency where Su works. The FT cited Jiang Kejun, an NDRC carbon-policy researcher. “The paper quoted an expert,” Su said today in an interview in Bonn, where two weeks of climate talks began yesterday. “It’s not necessarily presenting the view of the government or the NDRC. The NDRC would reaffirm that we have committed to a carbon-intensity target by 2020.” Su’s comments are the first by a senior Chinese negotiator since the reports were published. While not an outright denial, they suggest China isn’t ready to announce a cap at the United Nations talks in Germany , where such a move may have spurred other nations to step up measures against global warming. “What I have seen so far is speculation in the press, but I haven’t seen China really coming out and saying it,” Artur Runge-Metzger, the European Commission’s lead envoy at the talks, said in an interview. “It could really unlock the negotiations and show leadership by China. It could be changing the game, depending on the content.” Largest Emitter Envoys are waiting for China to take leadership because it’s the biggest emitter, said Fuqiang Yang, senior adviser on energy, environment and climate change for the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council’s China program. “An absolute peaking of Chinese emissions is one scenario, and they’re looking at many possibilities,” Yang said in an interview in Bonn. “They’re not yet ready to pick one of the scenarios to announce internationally.” Envoys at the UN talks aim to craft a new climate treaty by 2015 that will take effect in 2020. They’re also discussing how to raise emission-reduction targets in the meantime, with the World Bank warning that global temperatures may increase by 4 degrees Celsius, double the internationally agreed goal. The average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceeded 400 parts per million last month for the first time at the Hawaiian monitoring station that first began tracking the gas in 1958. That threshold hasn’t been passed in millions of years, scientific studies show. Behind Schedule “Allowing the concentration to rise further would be suicidal,” Nepalese envoy Prakash Mathema told delegates today in Bonn. “We are behind schedule and time is not on our side.” The emphasis at previous UN talks has been for developed nations to take the lead by adopting absolute emission caps, with developing countries taking voluntary measures. The 2015 deal will mark the first time developing nations accept binding targets, and pressure has mounted on China to boost its efforts. China’s current goal is to reduce emissions per dollar of economic output by 40 percent to 45 percent in 2020, from 2005 levels. With a growing economy, that may still allow emissions to rise, whereas an absolute cap would set a carbon ceiling. “There are lots of ways we can achieve the carbon-intensity target by 2020,” Su said. “We would certainly make arrangements in both the 12th and 13th five-year plans to achieve that objective.” The 12th of China’s five-year plans, which chart economic priorities and targets, runs from 2011 through 2015, and the 13th runs through 2020. To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in Bonn via amorales2@bloomberg.net . To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg via landberg@bloomberg.net . Continue reading
