Industry experts back UK’s ECCC report on 2020 renewable energy targets

Industry experts have backed a report by the UK’s Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) which suggests that the UK will miss its 2020 renewable energy targets.

Despite progress in some areas of its renewables commitments, there is simply not enough being done, ECCC says in its new report titled 2020 renewable heat and transport targets.

The UK has set plans to provide for 15% of its energy needs from renewable sources, with 30% in electricity, 12% in heat and 10% in transport.

The UK is three-quarters of the way towards its 30% electricity sub-target and is expected to exceed it by 2020, but it is not yet halfway towards 12% in heat and the proportion of renewable energy used in transport actually fell last year.

Juliet Davenport, chief executive of renewable energy company Good Energy, one of the experts who gave evidence to the committee, said: “This should ring alarm bells for the government – we’re teetering on a cliff edge of losing our global reputation for leadership on climate change.

“These are EU targets that will be missed, so now the government needs to show the world that Brexit doesn’t mean they’re throwing the towel in on tackling climate change.”

‘British business, British jobs, British farmers’

Mark Chesworth, managing director at Vivergo Fuels, said: “We welcome the Energy and Climate Change Committee’s recommendation for the rapid introduction of E10, a 10% blend of bioethanol in petrol that would be the carbon reduction equivalent of taking 700,000 cars off UK roads.  

“This is the latest in a series of reports, including the Department for Transport’s own Transport Energy Task Force, recommending E10’s introduction. Transport represents 24% of total greenhouse gas emissions, higher than any other sector in the UK economy.  

“E10 provides an immediate solution to lower this, whilst meeting the UK’s binding commitments on climate change and, at the same time, would boost British business, British jobs, British farmers and fuel security at a crucial time for the UK. We call on the government to take decisive action through the swift, coordinated rollout of E10 across the UK.”