Government Energy Strategy

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Government Energy Strategy

Ashley Bruce

The problems with the new strategy

The new Government is commited to net zero by 2050, but there are no targets between then and now on the reductions necessary. Little mention of energy efficiency belies thinking that regards energy consumption as too important. As has been said many times, we don't want energy, we want what it brings, the ability to move about, what it can make and comfort against cold (and, increasingly, heat). With such a large percentage of UK energy going on domestic heating, over 40%, and the ever shortening time left before the climate changes catastrophically, you'd think measures to reduce the amount of energy we use would be high on the agenda. Not least because, with some of the leakiest houses in Europe, we start at a comparativley low, and therefore economic, base.

There is a big problem with cutting emissions by the amounts needed. Planting trees can't ever be the answer and geoengineeing is at the very least risky. So far there have not been policy commiments to the estimated maximum of 50 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year. At the moment, it's 384 million tons. And "energy demand must reduce by over 40% to have a reasonable chance of meeting the UK’s net zero 2050 goal." (https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/four-crucial-climate-targets-the-new-uk-government-should-adopt-immediately/).

The new UK government has yet to state how it will be transparent in reaching net zero.

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UK Attitudes Towards Renewable Energy

by Rebecca Mehrtens, Researcher • 16 October 2024

Green Energy Rollout Despite the UK government's commitment to net zero by 2050, the rollout of green energy initiatives has been sparse over the last decade. This is attributed to the changes in laws and the manifesto of the ruling party at the time. Since 2015 on-shore wind turbines have been nearly impossible to build due to onerous planning conditions, in which a single objection could effectively block the project ( “Wind of Change”: Labour Government Lifts de Facto Ban on Onshore Wind in the UK, 2024 ). However, with the change in government to one pledged to a more sustainable future, these conditions may change. So far the current government has increased the budget for securing new renewable energy projects by 50%, to make up for the failure to contract renewable projects last year ( Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2024 ). The latest auction contracted for 131 new green energy initiatives, which “will power the equivalent of 11 million British homes” ( Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2024 ). These actions are incentivising the rollout of green energy initiatives, amongst businesses and the population, which will benefit many communities across the UK. The British Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Public Attitudes Tracker for Renewable Energy conducted in the spring of 2024, showed that overall support for renewable energy has increased from 82% in 2023 to 84% in 2024 ( 2024, p 1 ). There are a variety of different green and renewable energy sources, including solar panels, on-shore and off-shore wind turbines, ground-source and air-source heat pumps, biomass, and hydropower in the form of wave and tidal or dams, each with their benefits and drawbacks. Because of these differences, each new green infrastructure project will have different levels of support in different communities.

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