Responding to The Committee for Climate Change’s Net Zero – the UK’s Contribution to Stopping Global Warming report today, Richard Burrell, chief executive officer at AMP Clean Energy, comments:
“The report from the CCC makes for very interesting reading, particularly the role that bioenergy can play in helping the UK meet its net zero targets by 2050. It acknowledges that the technology is now in place to make clean energy a truly viable solution – something that would not have been feasible 10 years ago.
“It is also encouraging to see that – as a follow up to its conclusions in its Biomass in a Low Carbon Economy report from November last year – the CCC still values the role that biomass and specifically the role of biomass heat can play in the UK’s low carbon future, particularly to meet heat decarbonisation targets as well as Co2 targets. However, as there is no current major CCS initiative in place to promote a longer term strategy for biomass heat, major investment will be required to make this a reality.
“Biomass is a proven world-renowned technology – there are many examples across Europe of large scale biomass projects that are helping countries meet and exceed their renewable heat targets. The UK needs to do more and extend the RHI beyond 2021”
“There needs to be robust policy framework in place to unlock the full potential of biomass. The current financial incentive – the RHI – will close to new entrants in 2021. This uncertainty is leading to investor inertia, and we risk undermining the expertise and supply chains that have been built up over the last ten years.”
Mark Tarry, chief financial officer at AMP Clean Energy, adds:
“One of the key focusses of the CCC report is the major move to mass electrification to reduce emissions. It acknowledges that many of the recommendations will result in a significant increase in demand – for example, it is estimated that a total move to electric vehicles from petrol and diesel will require a quadruple increase in electricity generation from clean energy sources.
“Therefore, flexible solutions that ensure demand peaks are manageable will be vital. The UK is already on a path towards a sustainable, decentralised energy system as we transform both the mix of generation sources and the structure of our networks. Smaller scale generating assets are all contributing to the UK’s energy requirements.
“To ensure security of supply, the UK requires sources of reliable and flexible power, able to respond swiftly to fluctuations in supply and – increasingly – address pressure on local networks and constraints in urban areas. Therefore, to make the CCC’s vision a reality, there is a need for a greater focus on more decentralised, flexible generation to meet the growing demand for electricity.
