By Andy Drane
THE “green recovery” joins the growing list of Covid-era political maxims,
suggesting a bright and environmentally sustainable post-pandemic future
lies ahead.
The Prime Minister once again alluded to it recently when he expressed his
ambition to see the UK become the “world leader in clean wind energy”. In
his typically bombastic style, Boris Johnson declared that everything from
our kettles to electric vehicles will be powered by “breezes that blow
around these islands” by the next decade.
These comments create a misleading impression about how we can achieve a
green recovery. While wind turbines have a key role to play, they are just
one part of a comprehensive solution requiring a far more in-depth focus on
how and why we use energy. We must concentrate our efforts and resources on
reducing our overall consumption and increasing energy capture.
SNIP
This brings us to the role of onshore wind power; still the cheapest form
of renewable energy. Repowering existing sites with newer and more
efficient turbines will certainly increase capacity rapidly, but we must
also invest into development projects that will further enhance the
capacity and efficiency of existing equipment. This includes improving on
the current practice of the National Grid paying operators to switch off
wind turbines when excess electricity is produced and instead developing
new and innovative means to capture this energy. Government-primed
investment into battery storage could help ensure we achieve and further
reduce our reliance on traditional, non-sustainable sources.
We need a level playing field so that all forms of energy are judged on
their lifetime cost in terms of emissions as well as construction and
decommissioning costs to ensure fiscal incentives are applied on a fairer
basis.
Turning the maxim of a green recovery into reality will require more than
extra wind turbines. We need a significant investment and commitment from
business and government to limit existing emissions and ensure we capture
and use energy more efficiently.
Andy Drane is Projects Partner and Head of Renewables at law firm Davidson
Chalmers Stewart
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