28-08-2012, 01:42 PM
RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE LEGAL AB POLICY CONTEXT
RENEWABLE ENERGY.ppt (Size: 1.46 MB / Downloads: 80)
MOTIVATIONS
Renewable energy as part of the wider energy debate
Why we are discussing energy:
Fossil fuels are a finite resource
Security of energy supply
Climate change
THE REALITY
RE may be in some respects “environmentally friendly” AND they may be urgently needed
However in addition to being technically and economically viable still need planning permission & other consents
Planning system has been overhauled and new legislation enacted: new system of Development Consent for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects
Objections: local opposition & position of NE and the EA. No special treatment for RE – should there be?
THE FUTURE: THE ENERGY GAP
Nuclear: James Lovelock’s thesis. Even if a partial solution, it is not a panacea
The Answer: Renewables?
Technological advances: this has meant that RE developments are entering the mainstream. But still substantial hurdles: Severn Project (tidal range): limits on solar given the climate; economics
Future developments: not just in the existing forms but possibly developments such as osmosis?
SUPPLEMENT APPROACH
Renewable and low-carbon energy
Renewable energy covers those energy flows that occur naturally and repeatedly in the environment – from the wind, the fall of water, the movement of the oceans, from the sun and also from biomass. Low-carbon technologies are those that can help reduce carbon emissions.
Renewable and/or low-carbon energy supplies include, but not exclusively, those from biomass and energy crops; CHP/CCHP (and micro-CHP); waste heat that would otherwise be generated directly or indirectly from fossil fuel; energy-from-waste; ground source heating and cooling; hydro; solar thermal and photovoltaic generation; wind generation.