References, notes and sources of further information for our pages on renewables, energy efficiency and combined heat and power.
EU League Table on share of renewables
When heat and transport energy is included, the UK ranks near the bottom for renewables development. Only Belgium, Cyprus and Malta are worse.
Government proposals and the 2010 renewables target
A press release from the British Wind Energy Association. A related briefing and offshore wind statistics reports are also available.
Output from nuclear power
Our claim that, between them, enough wind, wave and tidal power capacity could be built to deliver more than twice as much electricity than the new fleet of nuclear reactors being debated – and the renewables would be built more quickly assumes 150 TWh of wind, wave and tidal by 2025 (as per notes below). It compares this to the output of a hypothetical 10GW of new nuclear power at 80 per cent capacity factor – giving 70TWh a year. For a real world comparison, British Energy currently operates 9.5GW of nuclear power stations and has a typical annual output of 60-65 TWh (based on the last 5 years published figures).
Briefing sheet on offshore wind (pdf)
A briefing from the British Wind Energy Association on the development, technology and licensing of offshore wind.
The growth of the global wind energy market (pdf)
A press releasefrom the Global Wind Energy Council, showing growth in wind to be another record year, and the UK to be lagging behind many other countries. (In 2006 the global growth in wind capacity was 32% and in 2005 it was 41%. The industry considered 2006 a difficult year due to supply chain constraints and without these circumstantial challenges growth would have been even greater. By contrast, the UK’s nuclear power is shrinking – even when you take the new build plans into account. And globally, nuclear power shows all the signs of being at the start of a long, inevitable decline (pdf).
Projected economic potential for wind power (pdf)
Our estimate that more than a quarter of today’s electricity consumption could be provided by wind power alone by 2025 (and that to do it would be economic and practical) is based on the assumption that around 100 TWh of electricity a year is possible from onshore and offshore wind power combined by 2025. This assumption is based, for example, on the technical supporting paper (pdf) for the 2003 Energy Review, which includes a table of projected economic potential for wind power for 2025 derived on DTI research. The report finds that 100TWh of offshore wind is economically and practically possible by 2025 while a further 58 TWh of onshore wind would be economic.
The report is pessimistic about the practicality (because of siting concerns) of that much onshore wind and only suggest 8TWh of practical onshore, but over half this output has already been exceeded by onshore wind in the UK today 18 years ahead of time and just meeting the 2010 target will deliver several times more onshore wind than this. Therefore our overall assumption for wind power is conservative when compared to the potentials found by government research.
Projected economic potential for wave and tidal power (pdf)
Our claim that wave and tidal power combined could meet 12.5 per cent of today’s electricity demand – economically and practically – by 2025 is based on the assumption that around 50 TWh of electricity a year is possible from wave and tidal power combined by 2025. This assumption is based, for example, on the technical supporting paper (pdf) for the 2003 Energy Review, which includes a table of projected economic potential for wave power for 2025, derived on DTI research, and for wave power alone puts the practical potential at 50TWh and economic potential at 33 TWh.
This report gives only very modest prospects for tidal stream, but expectations have risen since then (not least with successful demonstration projects) and subsequent research puts the potential for tidal stream much higher. While still in post, former Energy Minister Brian Wilson identified 42 sites that would be ideal for tidal stream in the UK – basing the statement on the findings of a 2001 ETSU report that put UK potential for tidal power alone at 36TWh per year. Meanwhile industry body BWEA reports that 34 per cent of UK electricity could come from tidal currents alone (which at today's consumption would mean it would have to provide 140 TWh).
A combined development of wave and tidal delivering 50TWh by 2025 is therefore a conservative assumption compared to iindustry and government studies of potential.
The economic potential for energy efficiency (pdf)
Page 190 of the 2002 Energy Review shows that the economic potential for saving energy across all sectors (including heat, transport and electricity) is 30 per cent .
Effectiveness of investment in nuclear vs efficiency measures (pdf)
Amory Lovins of the internationally respected Rocky Mountain Institute, who is also an energy advisor to both The Pentagon and Wal-Mart, has shown that, for each pound invested, efficiency measures are 10 times more effective than nuclear power at reducing CO2 emissions and closing the energy gap.
Carbon emissions by sector (pdf)
Heat accounts for more of our carbon emissions than any other sector - around 40 per cent.
Heat and domestic energy wastage (pdf)
83 per cent of domestic energy is used for heat.
Fuel use and domestic energy (Excel)
DTI figures show that 70 per cent of equivalent fuel use for heat is to provide heat and hot water in the domestic and service sectors.
Inadequate insulation
The Energy Savings Trust states that 21 million UK homes (out of around 24 million) are "suffering from inadequate insulation".
Cavity wall insulation (pdf)
Defra's Carbon Emissions Reduction Target Consultation Proposals show that more than 9 million homes have cavity walls, but no cavity wall insulation.
List of wave power developers
List of tidal power developers
The London Array (wind)
Islay wave power generator
Lewis wave power scheme
Orkney wave and tidal test centre
Lynmouth tidal stream generator
Wavehub wave power scheme
Gallions Park Zero Emissions development
The British Wind Energy Association
Centre for Alternative Technology
The Combined Heat and Power Association
The Energy Savings Trust
The European Wind Energy Association
The European Marine Energy Centre
The Micropower Council
Renewable Energy Association
World Alliance for Decentralised Energy
Yes2Wind
