UK Government CO2e Targets & Seeing Through the Eco-hype
Guest blog by Robert Borruso, TGR Expert Trainer
The profile of renewable technologies has been growing relentlessly over the past few years, spurred on by countless government initiatives and regulation. Some planning authorities now even insist that a proportion of all the energy used in any new development comes from renewables sources as a planning condition. With the latest targets for UK CO2e emission levels set at 34% below 1990 levels by 2020, and with the government’s own delivery plan containing plans to cut CO2 emissions from the power sector by 50%, you could start to tentatively believe that the promise being made since the early 90s by some green groups that with the right support for the technology the UK could lead the world in low carbon energy production, might now at last be coming true.
Unfortunately, the reality is that these targets are not set against a backdrop of past success but rather failure. For example the current ‘electricity from renewables’ programme that should be delivering 9.7% by now is only actually delivering around 5%. With half of that coming from hydro and landfill gas both technologies which have little scope for further expansion.
It could be argued the a ‘world leading’ figure of 34% was set by people safe in the knowledge that they would not be around in 2020 to face the embarrassment of another missed environmental target. They could have been beguiled by all the sexy renewable technology out there, without any real understanding of how energy networks actually work. To my mind while this is certainly true it does nevertheless offer a challenge to those who are charged with delivering the targets.
The media hype (and government websites) would have us believe that these very ambitious targets are going to be met by ‘every household in the country being given the opportunity to generate their own power’ and ‘cashback schemes for electric and hybrid cars’. That’s all very well and if people want to build a business going down that route I have no objections. The problem is that while such schemes certainly appeal to some voters there is very little empirical evidence to suggest that they will ever deliver anything like the sorts of numbers a 34% reduction would need. Indeed many of the current solutions offered by some green minded specifiers are wholly dependant on large capital grant or permanent revenue support – both of which are likely to get squeezed along with the rest of government finances over the coming years. Which will inevitably lead to the end of the current ‘never mind the output – count the panels’ attitude that has been the mantra of many eco-developments over the past few years.
Yet all this is good news for those who take the opportunity to get ahead of the game and start now to build expertise in delivering technologies that while less hyped will deliver the kind of savings that the current set of very ambitious targets will require. Training and education is clearly key and not the sort provided by lunchtime CPD given by the latest importer of ‘revolutionary’ Scandinavian low energy heating systems. But rather training that does more that just say ‘buy these technologies because they can attract double grant’ - training that delivers to attendees the knowledge and understanding needed to see through all the eco-hype out there.
Key to acquiring the in-depth knowledge that will be needed to prosper in the world of low carbon building will be an understanding the political drivers for policy. Policy that experience has shown us is almost always re-active. Therefore, by gaining an understanding of the political pressures exerted by the challenges of climate change it should be possible to see where policy might be going next and how to address the necessary measures. This will give businesses a significant commercial advantage over competitors who will inevitably be playing catch up.
Beyond this an understanding of the pressures felt by clients will also be crucial. Today, no client will wants to be seen as unsympathetic toward environmental issues. Currently however, so long as the image is one of greenness little real change in the way they might procure buildings is necessary. Yet, the days when a few roof top wind turbines demonstrated a commitment to sustainability are now moving behind us. Legislation is now implicit in demanding that commitment to sustainability is backed up by actual electricity meter readings. In the future clients will be much more interested in technology that can make real inroads into carbon budgets without adding excessively to real budgets. Therefore it is essential to find a training provider who is not trying to sell the latest bit of technology that will ‘save the world’.
The Green Register’s Low Carbon Technologies training day is one of TGR’s most popular courses, and it addresses all the issues discussed here and more in a clear and accessible way, see http://www.greenregister.org.uk/events.php or call the team on 0117 3773490.
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