09/12/2020 | Green hydrogen

CCC’s Sixth Carbon Budget shows ramping up renewables is key to reaching net zero at lowest cost

09 December 2020 - RenewableUK press release


Commenting on the Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget published today, RenewableUK’s Head of Policy and Regulation Rebecca Williams said: 


“The CCC is right to urge Government to move faster to reach net zero by taking a series of key steps which will benefit consumers by delivering cheap energy, as well as slashing carbon emissions.


“As their latest report states, low-cost offshore wind will play a major role as the backbone of our future power system with up to 140GW installed by 2050 – a fourteen-fold increase in our current capacity - and we also need a ramping up of onshore wind and innovative technologies like floating wind, tidal stream and renewable hydrogen to get there.


“The report highlights the fact that this will deliver tens of thousands of new jobs throughout the UK, especially including regions which need levelling up most, as part of the Just Transition from fossil fuels to renewables. As the report points out, certainty over consenting issues and auctions for contracts to generate power will help to increase investment in the UK renewable energy supply chain.


“Billions of pounds in investment by the private sector will help to achieve this. The CCC highlights the fact that this can only be achieved by Government enabling the construction of new grid infrastructure for offshore wind, and ensuring that the planning system is improved by resourcing environmental bodies appropriately, as well as working closely with other sea users and addressing aviation radar issues.


“Another vital measure highlighted by the CCC is enabling older onshore wind farms to re-power with even more efficient turbines when they reach the end of their 25-year lifespan. The report suggests almost doubling onshore wind capacity overall to 25-30GW by 2050 in order to generate low-cost power for consumers. The industry believes it can reach 30GW sooner, as our total current project pipeline already extends to this capacity.


"Taking these steps will demonstrate that the UK Government is leading efforts to tackle dangerous climate change in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow next year, where we can demonstrate global leadership on the biggest long-term threat all of us are facing".    


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Notes


RenewableUK’s  members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry.


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