analysis
It is accepted wisdom that solar panels should be ‘the last thing you do’, once all your lights are LED, your loft lagged and your windows double, even triple, glazed. This viewpoint is even enshrined in legislation with less energy efficient domestic and business properties receiving a lower feed-in-tariff rate.
With the government locked in negotiations with the EU over its Electricity Market Reforms (EMR) nuclear is understandably where most of the tension between the UK’s reforms and the EU’s market structure has initially been focused - though this isn't the only problem - see our analysis of the tension between the UK's reforms and the EU.
The UK could face trouble with Europe over Nuclear - but that is just the start of it.
Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute and professor of sustainable development at Columbia University, said earlier this year that “nuclear power is the only solution to climate change”. According to the famous economist, the urgency of climate change and the immaturity of the renewable energy industry leave us with little option but an expansion of nuclear power.
During the climate change negotiations a consensus seems to have been reached, if politicians will not lead, businesses will have to.
In the past year, the energy security debate in the UK has focused on costs of generation technologies. But by doing this, politicians, public figures and reporters have perpetrated a message that low prices are key to effectively tackling climate change. In fact in the short term, the reverse may be the case – assuming measures are put in place to protect the least well off.
Conventional wisdom amongst those who follow the debate over UK energy policy says that many of the country’s ageing and often very dirty coal-fired power stations are soon to close – and that the race is on to replace those power stations. The debate then centres on what these new power stations should be, where they should be, and how much they should cost – and crucially, who should pay.
Five key facts about the budget, energy and climate change.
The government has given planning permission to the first new nuclear plant since 1995, but hasn't yet announced how much will be paid for the power that comes from it - what will represent a good deal?
On the eve of the expected Government go-ahead for construction of the nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C, it is worth reflecting on what it implies for consumers’ energy bills in the future and whether it is value for money.
