1 0 th Chilterns AONB Planning Conference – 3 rd October 2 0 1 2 Notes from Tina Douglass Renew able Energy and the NPPF’s Planning constraints. Before dealing with the NPPF those who are not wind turbine nerds will need a little background information. Every UK government since Rio in 1992 has at least paid lip service to the need to tackle climate change. Reduction of energy consumption and alteration of the source of supply have been recognized as essential to achieving the reduction of greenhouse gases. Electricity generation is a major source of carbon emissions. In 2009 the UK emitted 491 million tons of carbon dioxide. Of that 151 million tons were attributable to the power sector i . Obviously addressing a sector which is responsible for 30% of emissions is important. Between 1990 and 2009 the emissions from generation fell by 26% . They did so, in the main, as a result of market forces changing the fuel source. The UK in the 1990’s began the “dash for gas”. It had recently privatised electricity companies; gas turbine power stations were quick to build which, with high interest rates, made them more economic than coal or nuclear; technical advances such as Combined Cycle Gas turbine generators increased efficiency and had lower capital costs; and, of course, the UK had North Sea gas. Between 1990 and 2002 the share of generation capacity attributable to gas went from 5 to 28% . Since gas is a cleaner fuel than coal inevitably the UK electricity energy sector looked good on the climate change gases front. The first targets for renewable energy, 5% of by the end of 2003 and 10% by 2010 'subject to the cost to consumers being acceptable' were set by Helen Liddell in 2000. The 2003 Energy White Paper revised the established goals for UK renewable sources to 10% of electricity generation by 2010 and 20% by 2020, though by 2007 the then Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks indicated that by 2020 the figure has 'got to be somewhere between 10% and 15% '. Subsequently the Low Carbon Transition Plan of 2009 made clear that by 2020 the UK would need to produce 30% of its electricity from renewables. Having signed up to a European Commitment to source 15% of our energy from renewables, and recognising that transport is not an easy sector to tackle, it may be that nearer 40% of electricity will have to come from renewable sources.
There are two main mechanisms which the government can employ to achieve its policy ends. Financial incentive and planning. Financial incentive for major commercial supply is provided by the Renewables Obligation. Introduced on 1 April 2002, the Renewables Obligation requires all electricity suppliers who supply electricity to end consumers to supply a set an annually increasing portion of their electricity from eligible renewables sources For each eligible megawatt hour of renewable energy generated, a tradable certificate called a renewables obligation certificate(ROC) is issued by OFGEM. Suppliers can meet their Renewables Obligation by: • acquiring and redeeming ROCs, • paying a buy-out price equivalent to £40.71/ megawatt hour in 2012/ 13 and rising each year with retail price index. The number of ROCs for each technology potentially differs and can be varied as a result of a “Banding Review” by the government. For instance, onshore wind, previously in receipt of 1 ROC per MW has this year been reduced to 0.9.The RO will close to new generation on 31 March 2017. Generation which is accredited under the RO will continue to receive its full lifetime of support in the “vintaged” scheme after 2017. The scheme will close in 2037. There are other incentive mechanisms currently available: The Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2010, under powers in the Energy Act 2008, to encourage small-scale (less than 5MW) low-carbon electricity generation. There is also the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which supports generation of heat from renewable sources at all scales. The UK has been slow to recognise that it is not only renewable energy which is required but new generating capacity of all types. There have been a series of W hite papers : in 2003 Our Energy Future: creating a low carbon economy, in 2006 the Energy Review “The Energy Challenge”, in 2007 “Meeting the Energy Challenge”; in 2011 “Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity”. At first heartily resistant to nuclear energy government policy now recognises that emissions and short fall in base load capacity requires it. On 26 November 2008 the Climate Change Act became law. The Act puts in place a framework to achieve a mandatory 80% cut in the UK's carbon emissions by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels), with an intermediate target of between 34% by 2020. That Act gave rise to the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan in 2009, a national strategy for climate and energy. That document projected 40% of our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020. It anticipated further
government support of technologies through the RO, streamlining the planning process, speeding up grid connections and developing supply chains. It noted the ongoing assessment of potentially suitable nuclear sites for deployment by 2025 and evinced strong support for Carbon Capture and storage. The streamlining of planning began in 2008. The Planning Act 2008 established the Infrastructure Planning Commission which began operating on 1 October 2009. It closed on 1 April 2012, with its functions transferred to a new department within the Planning Inspectorate. Charged with determining energy developments of more than 50MW of installed capacity it is doubtful than much speed was achieved. It managed to approve only 65MW at Rookery South from waste in October 2011. Its functions have transferred to the National Infrastructure Planning department of PINs as a result of the Localism Act 2011. 2008-2009 was a busy period for Energy. The Renewable Energy Strategy was published in 2009. It set out that: More than 30% of our electricity needed to be generated from renewables, up from about 5.5% at that time. Much of this to be from wind power, on and offshore, but biomass, hydro and wave and tidal would also play an important role. 12% of our heat must also be generated from renewables and 10% of transport energy. It was concerned with energy rather than planning constraints. The word landscape appears only 12 times in 234 pages. Nonetheless it acknowledged that: “Renewable energy also has the potential for negative effects on the local environment. For example, an increase in the burning of biomass could affect local air quality, inappropriately located wind farms could affect landscapes, and new tidal infrastructure could affect marine species and important habitats. These impacts need to be addressed in line with the principles of sustainable development, taking full account of the costs and benefits” (par.176) and “The planning system plays a central role in delivering the infrastructure (par.4.9) we need to reduce our carbon emissions and ensure continued security of energy supply. Equally the planning system plays a vital role in safeguarding our landscape and natural heritage and allowing communities and individuals the opportunity to shape where they live and work.” Based on that document came the UKs report to Europe, under Article 4 of the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/ 28/ EC, the National Renewable Energy Action Plan.
Recommend
More recommend
