The UK is falling short of achieving its 2020 renewables targets according to analysis carried out by ‘Keep on Track!’, a European project which charts member states’ progress.
The British government has agreed to produce at least 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. However, Keep on Track! calculates that the UK is falling behind the required growth rate in both renewable heat and transport – key sectors of energy consumption.
In order to put the UK on the correct path, Keep on Track! has suggested a number of policy recommendations that it believes will help the transport and heat market get more traction. in particular, the body wants to see the UK government extend the renewable heat incentive (RHI) out to 2020, which is yet to have its budget confirmed for 2016-2020.
In order to tackle transport, the body wants the government to “set a trajectory” out to 2020 to outline how it will meet the 10% minimum Renewable Energy Directive (RED) transport target. Keep on Track! also suggests that the UK’s cap on biofuels and general lack of direction over renewable transport are hampering the sector’s performance.
Commenting on the results, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA), Dr Nina Skorupska, said: “This report couldn’t be clearer in their conclusion that the UK is underachieving in two of our three renewable energy obligations.
“There continues to be a number of major regulatory and administrative barriers holding back the progress of renewable energy deployment across Europe and the UK, and these must be addressed as a matter of urgency if we are to get back on track towards the 2020 targets.
“Our industry holds the key to meeting these obligations, securing cost-effective green energy and cheaper bills, while also creating thousands of skilled jobs in the process. It’s high time that this potential was unlocked, and we look forward to working with the government to create a regulatory environment in which renewable energy can thrive.”
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