Security and cost are biggest barriers to decentralised energy, says report
15 May 2019
Reducing energy consumption is a priority for most UK businesses but fears over security and disruption to production are barriers to adopting new solutions, concludes a recently-published survey.
The company’s Bridging the Energy Gap report includes a survey of 200 energy decision makers across British industry.
The responses reveal:
- 94% view reducing energy consumption is a medium to high priority
- 82% say power continuity is a significant concern
- More than half (55%) believe energy prices impact their competitiveness
- Almost as many (49%) say cost is a barrier to decentralised energy solutions
- Over a quarter (26%) say energy comprises one tenth to one fifth of operating costs
Caroline Bragg, policy manager at the Association of Decentralised Energy welcomed the information in the study.
She stated: “This report provides an extremely useful overview of the barriers to deployment of decentralised solutions for industrial energy users.
“Decentralised energy solutions enable more flexible demand and reduce energy consumption, allowing industrial and business users to participate more fully in the UK energy system.”
Predictably perhaps, given Aggreko’s status as a leading provider of energy services, the study comes down heavily in favour of adoption. However it recommends hiring decentralised energy solutions in preference to purchasing.
This would avoid capital expenditure (capex) restrictions and provide a bridge between the existing reliance on the national grid and a future where the majority of electricity is generated on-site”.
“The statistics from this report show that UK industry requires some education in how it can benefit from secure, cost-effective and efficient decentralised energy solutions,” claimed Chris Rason, Aggreko managing director, Northern Europe.
