UK renewable electricity capacity up 40%
8 Jan 2013
London - The UK is making “significant progress” with plans to increase renewable energy supply, according to the 2012 update to the Renewable Energy Roadmap published by energy secretary Edward Davey.
Progress on the rollout of renewable energy across the UK, from July 2011 to July 2012, included a 27% increase in overall renewable electricity generated, and a 40% increase over the same period in renewable electricity capacity.
Renewables now represent over 10% of all electricity generated, helped by a 60% increase of offshore wind capacity to 2.5 gigawatts, and a five-fold increase in solar PV capacity.
The Roadmap, said Davey, shows that the UK is on track to meet its first interim target on the way to the ambitious European target to source 15% of all energy from renewable sources by 2020.
“Renewable energy is increasingly powering the UK’s grid, and the economy too,” he commented. “It’s a fantastic achievement that more than 10% of our power now comes from renewables, given the point from which we started.
“Right now, getting new infrastructure investment into the economy is crucial to driving growth and supporting jobs across the country. I am determined that we get ahead in the global race on renewables and build on the big-money investments we’ve seen this year”.
The Roadmap also shows that in the last year the costs of many renewable technologies have fallen, according to John Hayes, minister of state for energy. For example, he said, the cost of solar PV has fallen by 50%.
In response to the DECC’s update, the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association has published its own roadmap for anaerobic digestion which lays out barriers which remain to the technology, and how these can be overcome.
There are now 92 AD plants outside the water sector in the UK, compared to 69 in late 2011. An independent report by thinktank CentreForum published in July 2012 showed that AD already generates four times more energy than solar PV, and has the capacity for 800% growth by 2020 with the right support.
Charlotte Morton, ADBA chief executive, said: “DECC’s updated roadmap details some good progress on renewable energy, reflected in steady growth in AD in 2012, and lays out some helpful actions for the sector as a whole.
“However, delivering the coalition’s commitment to a huge increase in energy from waste though anaerobic digestion requires a much more focussed effort - and the government’s roadmap doesn’t even have a specific section on AD, or mention the potential for biomethane as a transport fuel.”
According to Morton, AD could bring huge benefits to the UK, not only as a flexible, constantly generated form of renewable energy but by providing more sustainable waste treatment, supporting climate-smart farming and improving our air quality.
“DECC’s roadmap alone will not bring the coordination across government needed to realise these benefits - waste policy needs to maximise the organic material available for AD, bioenergy policy needs to support good practice and compare technologies by common criteria, and biomethane in transport needs a more attractive framework of support.
“We look forward to working with government in 2013 to help realise as much of this roadmap as possible, alongside actions set out in DECC’s update such as the publication of voluntary guidance on growing crops for AD,” she concluded.
Examples of renewable energy investment across the UK:
Scotland
* Gamesa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port of Leith to develop turbine assembly plant that could create up to 750 jobs.
* AREVA announced plans to locate a factory for producing offshore wind turbines in eastern Scotland, which could create 750 jobs
* Wood Group and Steel Engineering have been awarded a £17m contract to design and fabricate weather monitoring stations for use in an offshore wind farm off the coast of East Anglia.
* SSE have been granted planning permission for the Viking Energy wind farm, with potential investment of around £550m, supporting 174 jobs
Wales
* Vattenfall have been granted planning for Pen-y-Cymoedd wind farm, with potential investment needed of around £365m, supporting 300 jobs
Northern Ireland
* DONG Energy are developing a £40m tailor-made installation harbour in Belfast Harbour for the West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm, and with potential for future Irish Sea projects. This will create up to 450 jobs.
* Harland and Wolff have won a contract for the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm, and also provided assembly for the Ormonde offshore wind farm. The Belfast shipyard is currently 75% offshore renewables-based.
North East England
* In September 2012 OGN received planning permission to build a facility in Newcastle to manufacture offshore wind turbine foundations. It is estimated that this will create 700 jobs during operations and a further 100 during the construction. A further 200 jobs could be created in the regional supply chain.
* Tata Steel opened its new £2m Offshore Processing Centre in Hartlepool to produce sections of pipe that will be used to make foundations for offshore wind turbines.
* In April 2012 JDR Cables completed a £30 million upgrade to its manufacturing plant in Hartlepool. This created 130 new jobs.
* Reef Subsea Power & Umbilical wins a major contract with the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, worth approximately £40-million.
Yorkshire & Humber
* Banks Renewables will invest £21.9m at Penny Hill Wind Farm. This will support 30 jobs.
* Consent has been given to Vireol to build a £200m biorefinery, supporting up to 1000 construction jobs and up to 90 when in operation.
North West
* Camell Laird have begun work on a £5m contract from RWE’s Gwynt y Môr windfarm that will create up to 600 jobs in next decade.
* Siemens opened its new Renewable Energy Engineering Centre in Manchester which will create 340 jobs.
West Midlands
* Forkers Ltd won £9.2m in contracts from RES for onshore wind farm design & construction.
* Geothermal International received a £12m investment for international expansion.
* Morgan Sindall won £25m contract to design and build a pioneering new biogas energy scheme for Yorkshire Water.
East Midlands
* ECO2 started the construction of a £100m straw fuelled plant in Sleaford. This will create 30 jobs in operation, 50 in fuel supply and it will require local straw contracts estimated at £6m per annum.
South West
* TGC Renewables are constructing a 6.2MW solar farm in Devon.
* Helius is spending £300 million developing the Avonmouth biomass plant. This will created 40 jobs, with the potential for 450 during construction.
East England
* Seajacks new £3 million HQ in Great Yarmouth will create 50 extra jobs.
* Planning permission was granted for Dudgeon (560MW) and Centrica’s Race Bank (580MW); which could represent around £3bn of investment.
- EAOW has announced that it has invested £6.65m in the East Anglia region (over last 2 years) as it develops their project (East Anglia).
South East and London
* Viridor have begun construction of a £205m energy from waste plant, that will create 40 permanent jobs
