A “rapid overhaul” of the UK’s energy network is vital if it is to decarbonise its energy sector by 2035, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said in a report on Thursday.
The independent, statutory body that advises Downing Street explained that decarbonising the grid was possible, but would not happen at the current rate, calling for the government to reform the system and champion hydrogen, carbon capture and new storage solutions.
“We know how to do this, but government is asleep at the wheel,” CCC chairman John Selwyn Gummer said, adding that “a rapid overhaul of the planning system and regulations is needed”.
Emissions from electricity generation have fallen by over two-thirds since 2010, with a full drop in CO2 output likely to prompt decarbonisation in other sectors, the CCC predicted.
Solutions such as pumped storage and compressed air were suggested for prolonged periods of low wind, after the UK was forced to rely more heavily on gas and coal for energy this winter.
It comes after National Grid’s system operating wing (ESO) set about tackling a queue of projects, worth around 257GW of additional capacity – “three times what is needed” – waiting to be approved to join the grid in late February.
Only 30-40% of these were likely to be given the go-ahead though, it said, since it currently deals with new proposals on a first-come-first-served basis, often preventing more-ready generators from being brought online.
The CCC agreed that by removing these barriers, UK energy production could be bolstered, opening “the path to major investment” in renewables, ahead of a predicted 50% increase in demand by 2035.