The Renewable Energy Centre comments on Carbon Capture and Storage report

A report released this week by UK think tank, Policy Exchange has cited carbon capture and storage (CCS) as the way forward for the UK to significantly cut its carbon emissions.

The report accuses the government of missing the opportunity to become a world leader in CCS and not taking proactive steps to promote a technology which could be implemented quickly and be highly effective in reducing CO2 from power plants.

The Renewable Energy Centre today released a statement in response to the report which plays down the role of wind and wave power in favour of CCS technology. The Renewable Energy Centre said that the report was one which above all else, highlighted the need for the government to take action in the short term and move towards solutions which would place the UK at the forefront of the global renewable energy markets. In order to meet the targets of 2020 and 2050 the government would need to look at a mix of technologies and provide support to those which would bring significant results.

Wind and wave power will play a significant part in the UK’s energy supply, particularly offshore wind which is going to be one of the main contributors to achieving the 2015 targets. CCS is currently even further behind wind and wave in terms of reaching commercialisation and the report recommends a government strategy to bring CCS online within the next decade. The Renewable Energy Centre stated that CCS would provide a great solution to reducing power plant CO2 emissions and should be considered as part of the overall strategy for the UK not as a one stop shop solution.

Richard Simmons Managing Director at The Renewable Energy Centre said “Time and time again we are seeing reports urging the government to take action in the with regard to the reduction of carbon emissions. We maintain that it is imperative that the government act outside politics in order to achieve what is necessary in the renewables industry. CCS definitely has a part to play but as the report shows investment and support has dwindled and despite there being 9 proposals on offer, the government will only award one site by 2014. Yet again this shows a lack of foresight on the government’s part when predictions show that using CCS, 20% of electricity could be decarbonised by 2015.”

The Renewable Energy Centre concluded by stating that CCS although still in its infancy could play a significant role and that the UK was again well placed to lead the way in this field. Just as the government has taken steps to support the wind industry, so it should move towards investment in CCS. Highlighting again the need for quick and firm decision making, The Renewable Energy Centre said that it would continue to urge the government to explore every corner of potential within the renewable energy sector and in technologies such as CCS. A reduction in lead times to implementation it said, were also key to reaching the UK’s short and long term targets.

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This release was published on openPR.