UK must scrap renewable energy target - 05/05/2011
The UK should scrap its renewable energy targets and consider cheaper ways to reduce carbon emissions, a research group has argued.
Policy Exchange said Britain could save £12.5 billion by developing fewer wind farm projects and "renegotiate its commitment" to the EU's target of generating 20 per cent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020, Bloomberg reports.
According to government figures, the proportion of green energy currently used in the UK is 6.6 per cent.
Simon Moore, author of the research, said: "The target diverts current and future resources away from measures that could save the same amount of carbon at a lower cost, such as energy efficiency nuclear and carbon-capture and storage."
He added: "The UK's commitment to meeting the EU's renewable energy target is actually damaging the goal of global carbon reduction."
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