The Government is committed to increasing the proportion of energy we use from renewable sources. The UK has a wealth of energy resources but the depletion of our domestic fossil fuels reserves, combined with projected growth in global energy demand, puts the security of our energy supply at risk.

We were once self-sufficient in North Sea oil and gas; now we import 27% of our energy. That vulnerability is projected to double by 2020.  The Government believes climate change is one of the gravest threats we face and that urgent action at home and abroad is required. The development of renewable energy sources, alongside nuclear power and the development of carbon capture and storage, will also enable the UK to play its full part in international efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

With a quarter of the UK’s generating capacity shutting down over the next ten years as old coal and nuclear power stations close, more than £110bn in investment is needed to build the equivalent of 20 large power stations and upgrade the grid. In the longer term, by 2050, electricity demand is set to double, as we shift more transport and heating onto the electricity grid.

The UK has signed the EU Renewable Energy Directive with a legally binding target for the country to generate 15% of its energy from renewables by 2020, the current level is 5.5%. In October 2010 the Government launched the consultation on the Coalition’s revised draft national policy statements on energy. They expect over half the new energy generating capacity built in the UK by 2025 to come from renewable sources.

By the year 2050 we will need to change dramatically the way we produce and consume our energy.  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have produced an online tool which gives the opportunity for you to try to create a successful scenario for future energy supply and reduce our CO2 emissions by 80%.  Please click on  My2050 to visit the website.