Press Release
Variety of energy sources essential to keep the lights on, says Academy
23 May 2007
The Energy White Paper has finally begun to grasp the importance of taking action to ensure the UK has access to secure energy supplies for the future and to ensure that climate change mitigation remains a priority, says The Royal Academy of Engineering in response to today’s energy policy announcements.
“However, the scale of the engineering challenge to deliver the required infrastructure is unprecented and must be taken into account for both reliable, secure supply and reduced demand,” says Dr Sue Ion, Vice President of the Academy.
“Targets to date have been aspirational and not realistic”, says Dr Ion. “We need more traction and less spin as the consultation plays out. Otherwise politicians in Westminster will think they can command solutions when we are decades off the pace in terms of engineering reality.”
New and improved technologies are essential to address the twin concerns of climate change and security of supply. The critical clusters of technology are nuclear, carbon capture and storage (CCS), energy efficiency including low-energy buildings and vehicles, renewables and energy storage. We need all of these, it is not a matter of choice.
Carbon capture and storage has the potential to make a significant reduction in carbon emissions from fossil fuels which could ensure that widely available coal remains in the energy mix. A critical assessment of the technological challenges and costs is necessary but the UK should continue to invest in clean coal technology including CCS.
The problems we face in delivering clean energy reliably require new engineering solutions within a policy and economic framework that will encourage timely investment enabled by appropriate Government intervention.
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