This is a valuable opportunity to move us away from volatile fossil fuels and address the cost of living crisis – and governments cannot waste it.
Despite Europe’s determination to wean itself off Russian energy, importing Russian fossil fuels into the EU has nearly £20 billion In the vaults of the Kremlin since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Through a combination of renewable energy, energy efficiency and importing more non-Russian fossil fuels, the EU hopes to reduce Russia’s gas imports by two-thirds this year and eliminate them entirely by 2030. The UK will unveil its own new energy security strategy this week.The Secretary of Commerce has indicated that he intends to reduce our Fossil fuelsBut this strategy has been Major differences of opinion within the government In public spending, nuclear power and fracking.
At the same time, the combined effect of high inflation and rising energy bills means that over 34% of the population Will not be able to afford living expenses this month. If an energy security strategy is also about providing security for British households, then the pain that millions of households are currently facing cannot be ignored.Prime Minister’s spring statement and energy support package widely condemned as insufficient Since this month, energy bills have risen 54%.
If the government really wants to stop importing Russian gas and make sure everyone can afford necessities, they should include the following nine things in their energy security strategy this week:
1. Vigorously develop offshore wind power
According to reports, the government considering By 2030, the UK has a target of nearly five-fold increase in installed offshore wind capacity. This massive increase will cumulatively generate enough electricity to exceed all the natural gas power we use today.
2. Triple onshore wind and solar
Boris Johnson expected Drop plans to expand the number of onshore wind turbines.But onshore wind is an extremely cheap and clean energy source and we already have more than 240 onshore wind projects in the planning and planning approvals, and 33GW Onshore wind is in various stages of construction, approval or application. The government should provide a clear path for tripling onshore wind capacity by 2030, through annual auctions, accelerated planning permissions and greater certainty about the variable costs of transmission.
3. Cut energy demand
A sort of mansion upgrade The plan to retrofit more than 17 million homes by 2030 will ensure everyone can live in a well-insulated home heated by clean, green energy.Upgrade your home Save at least £345 per family. Combined with an additional £9.75bn investment in low carbon heating and energy efficiency, this could reduce gas demand Between 20 – 25% by 2030. Insulating houses and installing heat pumps Russian gas imports could be eliminated within five years.
4. Support Community Energy
Distributed or small-scale energy generation owned by local communities or groups can help preserve the profits of energy production and management within the community while contributing to greater social benefit. Treasury can start with simple steps to recover assets Social Investment Tax Credit For community energy groups.
5. Reforming the electricity market
Renewable energy is now one of the cheapest sources of energy we have and the government should ensure that this low cost reduces our energy bills.If the government sets bold targets for renewables, it will eventually reduce wholesale prices, perhaps even to levels that electricity suppliers can achieve pay Give clients money for a few weeks a year.This market design Energy demand reduction and energy system flexibility should be enabled and incentivized to manage changes in renewable energy generation due to sunless nights and windless days.
6. Build nuclear power — but not on the backs of the average family
The government has indicated that it intends to take 20% equity Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk.Nuclear power is notoriously expensive, and unlike other technologies, deploying more nuclear power will only lead to higher costs. Boris Johnson is Passionate Regarding nuclear power, but this needs to be moderated by guarantees that no further costs will be loaded onto the bills of low-income households.
7. Support local authorities
Local authorities are best positioned to help their constituents reduce energy use and conduct detailed local energy planning.Local authority’s retrofit delivery scheme effectively warms homes, but only 10,000 households Everyone has benefited so far, saving an average of around £120 a year.Expand the program and provide long-term resources for local authorities clear legal obligations Managing their local energy supply can propel us towards a greater energy democracy and a more cost-effective energy system.
8. Don’t ignore network costs
As more and more renewable energy sources, heat pumps and electric vehicles are connected to the grid, the wires carrying these energy sources may not be able to accommodate them, which could increase the price we pay for new networks.Avoiding this requires a more flexible energy system that includes more batteries to store backup power, and better demand management, potentially avoiding £4-£15bn network hardening costs.
9. Immediate support for family income
It will take time to insulate the nation’s homes and build more renewable energy — but today’s energy bills are soaring.An emergency benefit boost based on today’s inflation rate and a return to the £20-a-week universal credit boost will form the first step Living Income, a new social security system that will ensure everyone can afford the necessities of life.
This week’s energy security strategy is a valuable opportunity to move away from volatile fossil fuels and Coping with the cost of living crisis. I hope the government doesn’t waste it.
picture: Scottish government (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
