UK energy policy needs direction

The UK government needs to clarify the direction of UK energy policies and provide developers with the certainty needed to meet electricity demands and carbon reduction targets, according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The institution’s head of energy and environment Jenifer Baxter made the call in response to a National Audit Office briefing for the Environmental Audit Committee on sustainability in the spending review.

Baxter said that the briefing highlighted the importance of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in helping to meet UK carbon reduction targets, as well as other technologies, such as energy storage.

She said the UK cannot rely on current renewables technologies alone to meet the goals.

All technologies that reduce carbon emissions will require an injection of funds from government and industry to drive the sector forward, the institution said.

Baxer said: “Without a clear understanding of what energy system the current government is aiming to achieve, the sector will continue to struggle to invest in new technologies. 

“It is far better to invest more heavily now in abatement technologies than to wait and risk a far higher bill for our reluctance to take up technological opportunities.

“We need to invest into research and development of the next generation of low carbon technologies, which could include CCS, and improved technologies around transport and heat as well as the management of the whole life cycle of nuclear power and fuel.

“Greater investment in the development of electricity storage technologies in particular could be key to allowing a greater proportion of electricity to be generated from renewable sources.

Baxter said that while the initial costs of technology, such as CCS, are high, research and demonstration projects are needed before large technologies can be rolled out commercially.

“These types of demonstration projects, developed collaboratively with business and universities, will begin to develop skills and expertise in the area as well as trust in the technology,” she said. 

“The inertia in moving such technologies forward has the potential to lead to greater engineering skills gaps in the UK a long with higher costs,” she added.

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