The study, “Development of a Renewable Energy Assessment and Targets for London”, has been published jointly by the Mayor of London, the Government Office for London and the Association of London Government. The research has been carried out by energy consultants ETSU and concludes that London needs to increase its use of renewable energy and that the Mayor must take more responsibility for it.
The report concluded: “We recommend that – as a matter of primary importance – London’s Mayor should take into account this report and its conclusions in the further development of the Spatial Development Strategy, the Waste Strategy and the Energy Strategy.”
The capital is struggling to generate much of its energy needs from renewable sources and the study shows that it will only meet up to 2% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2010. The national target is to generate 10% by 2010.
The report concluded: “Through London's Waste Strategy this [the fractions of municipal and industrial waste that could be included within a target for renewable energy] can be formally recognised and a drive for the use of this element of London's waste taken forward, thereby contributing to the overall target for renewable energy in London. Indeed future waste management options are likely to encourage the development of separation processes that better identify and exploit the different fractions of municipal waste.”
Open
The Mayor's waste strategy is still out for consultation and the Mayor is due to launch his draft energy strategy shortly where he will set out his proposals for increasing London's use of renewable energy. The Mayor is open to ideas on renewable energy as cheaper renewable energy technologies like wind are not suited to London and other technologies like solar power are still expensive.
Commenting on the report, the Mayor Ken Livingstone said: “The suggestion in our study that London will only manage to generate 2% of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of this decade is very disappointing. We have entered a century that will see, for the first time, the majority of people on this planet living in cities and the urban environment. We have to demonstrate that cities can be the engines of sustainability as opposed to unsustainability.
“We have decided to publish this report in order to provoke discussion and, hopefully, generate new ideas and innovation. The first response of people will be, no doubt, that we need to spend more money. But London needs investment in many parts of its infrastructure including transport and housing. Resources are limited and we must consider whether existing funds can be used to greater effect.”
And the Mayor called for more investigation to take place into the potential for renewable energy sources in the capital and said: “Are their opportunities that have been overlooked or underestimated? We will shortly launch a consultation process so you can express your views on a London target and how we can do more to meet the capital's energy needs from renewable sources.”
Continued on page 2
Subscribe for free