Public And Private Sector Need To Work Together On Renewables

There needs to be greater collaboration between the private and public sector if the UK is to make best use of low carbon technologies within the country’s energy system.

This was the conclusion at an expert panel event in Westminster earlier this week (5 December). Edie reported that RenewableUK’s executive director Emma Pinchbeck stressed that the big challenge for renewable energy is now developing a flexible energy system.

As a result all stakeholders need to work closely together, something she described as “a massive challenge”.

Ms Pinchbeck said that it’s important for those working in the renewable sector to be realistic about what can be achieved and where the world is going. The key is to find “short-term, next-step, easy-to-implement solutions where possible and work together with the civil service and outside industry to make change happen in difficult climates”, she asserted.

Biofuels were another area highlighted as one that has the potential to grow. Residual waste in the UK could be utilised to generate heat and power, as well as to create biodiesel, Dr Adam Read, external affairs director at Suez, argued.

Encouraging more homes and businesses to consider biomass boiler heating could be one step in the right direction.

Dr Read said that his concern is that there isn’t joined up thinking when it comes to using the country’s residual waste as an alternative energy and heating source.

The government’s Industrial Strategy white paper, which was published recently, gave a significant boost to low-carbon energy, citing this kind of technology as one of the key pillars that the government considers vital for sustainability across society.