LONDON - Britain is likely to miss its 2010 target to generate 10 percent of electricity from renewables sources, speakers at an industry conference said.
UK seen likely to miss 2010 renewable energy target
\"With the current growth level, we forecast renewable electricity generation to be below the official target by 2010,\" Douglas McWilliams, of consultancy the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), told delegates.
He forecast renewables will account for about 7.2 percent of generation by 2010.
Improved incentives were required to raise the level of production significantly, and a diversity of sources was needed to maximise renewable generation, McWilliams said.
Others agreed more funding was needed.
\"We can\'t rely on the measures we have there to meet future production targets, we need more innovation and more investments in new technology,\" said Tom Delay, chief executive of The Carbon Trust, an independent organisation set up by the government.
Among existing renewable technologies, wind power was seen likely to develop faster in the short term because it was more cost efficient.
\"A level of 10 percent of renewables cannot be achieved without wind,\" said Chris Shears, development manager at Renewable Energy Systems Ltd, who reckoned that up to half of the 2010 target could be provided from wind power.
However, to achieve that, about 6,000 megawatts of extra wind generation would be needed, onshore and offshore.
\"That translates into an annual growth of 360 megawatts per year onshore and 450 MW per year offshore, which is possible if the conditions are right as offshore wind power is more expensive to build,\" he said.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Sdílet článek na sociálních sítích