Events

Policy priorities for renewable energy in England

Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum Keynote Seminar

 Speakers Include:

Maria Connolly, TLT; 

Bruce Davis, Abundance Investment;

Mark Howitt, Storelectric;

Abid Kazim, NextEnergy Capital and

Adriana Laguna-Estopier, UK Power Networks

This seminar will examine key issues for the UK renewables sector, including meeting the renewable generation and carbon budget targets set by the UK Government and the sector’s place in the energy mix going forward.

Timed to follow the second phase of the joint Energy Systems Catapult and IET Future Power System Architecture (FPSA) project’s report, expected in April 2017, which is focused on forming a resilient electricity system ready for the challenges of substantial decarbonisation by 2030. It will also be an opportunity to discuss the results of the Contracts for Difference allocation round and next steps for the sector following the Government’s decision to reduce subsidies under the Renewables Obligation for solar.

Delegates will also assess the implications for renewable generation of the changes to the Feed in Tariff scheme and progress with consumer engagement on home-generation and sustainable behaviour in the household.

Further sessions will consider the consultations on generation tariffs for anaerobic digestion and micro-combined heat and power, and on closing unabated coal power plants in the UK by 2025, and what this means for renewable energy generation.

The agenda will bring out latest thinking on the implications of Brexit for renewables policy, as well as the impact on the UK’s international relationships and role in the European Internal Energy Market and associated issues such as access to skills for the sector - and developments in technology, including advances in energy storage and tackling the challenge of intermittency.

Overall, areas for discussion include:

• Assessing the policy framework for renewables and their role in meeting decarbonisation targets;

• The realities for investment in renewables and opportunities for new sources of finance;

• Engaging domestic consumers with saving and earning incentives, and embedding sustainable behaviour in households;

• Tackling the technical hurdles of integrating renewable energy into the grid and demand forecasting;

• Overcoming intermittent generation through energy storage and the legal and planning challenges for new renewable and storage projects; and

• Developing the policy framework for renewable energy.

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