Renew On Line (UK) 34

Extracts from the November-December 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

4. UK Renewables: Funding & Statistics

In 2000, 2.8 % of the electricity generated in the UK was from renewables. The DTI estimates that in England about 1.5 % of the electricity generated came from renewable resources in 2000, while in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the proportions were about 8.75%, 3.25% and 1.5%, respectively. The percentages are higher in Scotland and Wales because large scale hydro generation (which accounts for almost half of generation from renewables) is concentrated there. In the UK as a whole, if large scale hydro generation is excluded, about 1.5% per cent. of electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2000. On this basis the proportions in England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland were 1.5%, 0.5%, 2% and 1.5%, respectively.

Source: Parliamentary Question to Brian Wilson, July 19th: Hansard: Column: 326W

Funding

Answering an earlier PQ, on the subsidy paid to the UK nuclear industry and for renewables since1997, he said ‘No Government investment or subsidy has been paid in years since 1997 toward the production of nuclear power or to the development, planning or construction of nuclear power stations. There is no current expectation that there will be any in the period to 2005-6. The levy funds paid for production and development of power from renewable sources under the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation in respect of England and Wales for each year from 1997-98 are shown in the table’.

NFFO	£m
1997-98	115.9
1998-99	113.7
1999-00	41.9
2000-01	52.1
2001-029(est)	111.0

There were also smaller allocations under the Scottish and N. Ireland schemes.

He noted that support for renewables from 2002/3 would depend on the renewables obligation, and the Government had also pledged over £260 m over the next three years in grant support, and that renewables will also be helped indirectly through the climate change levy. (Hansard: Column: 265W for July 18)

Fair enough, but what about R&D? The latest overall renewable RD&D funding, £55m over the next three years will help a bit- it’s set to rise from £18m to £20m for 2002/3 and then £23m for 2003/4. But that’s still no way to ensure that renewables, particularly new renewables, will expand rapidly in the years ahead. There’s also the rapidly expanding ‘nuclear support for Russia’- £3.5m now, rising to a £32m by 2003/4. Add in other nuclear items, like the £14m p.a. on fusion, and the total nuclear R&D budget rises from £24m now to £52m by 2003/4 - half the total energy R&D budget.

UK Environmental Account 1990-99

According to the UK’s new ‘environmental account’, emissions of greenhouse gases by the non-domestic sector, weighted by global warming potential, fell by 16.5 % between 1990 and 1999. However, emissions from households increased by 6.5 % over the same period, mainly due to increases in energy use in the home. Emissions of greenhouse gases by the service and public sectors in 1999 were 4% higher than in 1990, in contrast to the manufacturing and electricity production sectors, where emissions have fallen by 25%.

Greenhouse gas emissions from road transport increased by 8% between 1990 and 1999, mainly from commercial vehicles, despite a fall of 0.5% in the most recent year. Non domestic emissions of the pollutants which contribute to acid rain (SO2, NOx, nitrogen oxides, ammonia) were down by 53% in the same period, with reductions in all sectors.

The accounts also show that energy consumption by the non-domestic sector have increased by 4% between 1990 and 1999, while domestic energy consumption grew by 9% over the same period. The proportion of energy derived from fossil fuels fell from 92 % in 1990 to 89% in 1999, partly due to increases in the use of renewable energy.

www.statistics.gov.uk/themes/environmenVArticles/environmental_accounts.asp

UK Energy Trends

The DTI’s quarterly journal on UK Energy Statistics was also published recently. It looks at the latest position on the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation, the consultations taking place on the UK's Renewable Energy Policy and the key statistics on renewable energy production and use in the UK in 2000. Detailed figures on renewable sources of energy are also available in the new Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) for 2001.

www.dti.gov.uk/energy/energytrends/contents.htm