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Wind Rush

Alternative Renewables

The Government has recognised belatedly that the Wind Rush has been done at the expense of other forms of renewable energy. The Renewables Obligation is to be tweaked by ‘banding’ so that the other renewables will get a look in, to the expense of wind (in fact it might well be that offshore wind is in fact favoured in the new regime).

Labour Party policy . Exactly how the banding will turn out, probably after a lot of horse trading, is not known, but the current stage is that a period of three months’ consultation finished in September. Certainly the Government intends to introduce a Bill which will incorporate banding within the current session of Parliament, so it may well be in force sometime in 2009.

Conservative Party Policy . A General Election is likely in 2009 (May 2010 at the latest) and other possibilities arise. The Conservatives’ policy is basically to remove all subsidies, including RO subsidies, from onshore windfarms.

Interim findings of the Conservative Party’s Energy Review

“The Renewables Obligation subsidises large electricity providers to purchase

energy from renewable sources. We believe that it leads to inconsistent outcomes, over-subsidising onshore wind and landfill gas to the virtual exclusion of the other technologies we need to foster if we are to meet our carbon reduction targets. “

Go to ( www.alanduncan.org.uk/PDF/Energy%20Review%20Interim%20Findings.pdf )for the full report

See below for the BWEA’s thoughts on this:

“Conservative energy proposals 'would cripple wind industry”

Thursday 13 September 2007

The UK 's leading renewable energy body BWEA today expressed grave concern and disappointment at the Conservative party's Quality of Life policy review findings on energy.

The Conservative proposals would end all support for onshore wind – and cripple the UK wind industry overnight.

"This proposal would make a mockery of David Cameron's commitment to renewable energy" said BWEA's Director of Programme Strategy Chris Tomlinson.

"Wind energy is the only renewable source capable of meeting the looming energy gap by 2020 – ending support for onshore wind would make schemes uneconomic and effectively choke off investment overnight."

The report claims that the wind industry is market competitive because it is making 25% profits on its schemes, however in reality the level is between 10-15%. This level of profits is dependent on the Renewable Obligation which the report would scrap. Other energy investments make a similar rate of return, however they are lower risk and do not receive support.

Tomlinson added "This document has a number of promising ideas, however the proposals on wind energy would be a devastating blow to meeting Britain 's renewable targets - the Conservatives need to reconsider this proposal"

The current Wind Rush is the wind farm lobby’s panic response to these developments. Currently shortages of turbines and slow progress in the Planning System are getting in the way of project approval; however, the erosion or loss of the RO subsidy would be a body-blow as the Klondike count-down begins.

So the log-jam that has been blocking the progress of renewables other than wind is slowly being removed and it’s perhaps a good time to take fresh look at the ‘alternative alternatives’.

This is a list, of some papers, articles etc which give an insight into the current state–of-the-art in each case.