Wednesday 13 July 2011
Campaigners have been angered by what they see as a snub to solar in the Government's recent Renewable Energy Roadmap. The Department of Energy and Climate Change released the Roadmap in tandem with their Energy Market Reform (EMR) White Paper yesterday.
The Roadmap highlights eight key new renewable technologies that could push the UK towards low carbon targets. The Solar Trade Association (STA) believes the exclusion of solar from this list shows "neglect" for an energy source that could help the UK achieve 15% of its energy demand from renewables by 2020.
Howard Johns, Chairman of the STA said: "Solar, delivered locally and at source, is a technology that can transform electricity market competition, a crucial issue to address when the Government is looking to create radical reform of electricity markets and address the need to increase competition. This, together with the fact that solar competes with retail (not wholesale) prices, still not recognised in EMR, is deeply disappointing."
Mr Johns added: "The neglect of solar thermal in the Roadmap is extraordinary given its massive international deployment. We need to work with government to rectify this serious omission."
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said the Roadmap would: "help protect consumers from fossil fuel price fluctuations, drive investment in new jobs and businesses, and keep us on track to meet our carbon reduction objectives for the coming decades."