Clegg calls for a revolution

Published on Thursday 21 August 2008 22:35

NICK Clegg has called for a revolution in the way energy is generated. The Liberal Democrat leader wants the UK to be self-sufficient by 2050 without new coal-fired or nuclear power stations.

Mr Clegg called for improvements in the energy efficiency of housing and a greater commitment to renewable generation.

He accused the government of scaremongering about a possible energy gap to gain backing for a new generation of nuclear power plants.

He said a renewables delivery authority should be established, and claimed the UK could again become a net exporter of energy, as it was when North Sea oil and gas production was at its height.

He said: "If we have been able to put a man on the moon… we could revolutionise the way in which we produce energy."

Background

THE UK transmission charging regime is so complex some members of the renewables sector say a PhD in maths is needed to understand it.

It is designed on a cost-reflective basis, so the parties that use the system bear the costs that they impose on the network.

The methodology divides the country into zones where different generation and demand tariffs apply.

Due to most demand being in the south, generation tariffs are higher in the north.

The National Grid claims this provides market participants with incentives to guide investment in balancing the benefits of being closer to the demand areas against the associated costs of building plants closer to those areas.