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The UK’s plans to decarbonise its energy system by pursuing ‘clean’ electricity could face critical challenges, says a report from leading scientists.

Instead, says the report from Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, the UK should take a more integrated approach including using ‘waste’ heat from power generation to meet demand and provide an efficient, flexible energy storage system.

The Government’s Low Carbon Transition Plan anticipates that electricity will be increasingly used in future for heating and transport.

This is driving major expansion in renewable generation sources such as wind.

But increasing use of electricity could double peak demand, requiring investment in many new low-carbon power stations and a massive expansion of network capacity.

The approach currently being pursued by the Government also requires the installation of insulation to a very high standard across the entire building stock and a major change in consumer behaviour.

Failing to adequately meet any of these challenges could seriously limit the Government’s ability to meet its target of cutting carbon emissions 80% by 2050.

A more sensible approach, say the scientists, would be to make more use of combined heat and power (CHP) and district heating (DH), in combination with biomass and carbon capture and storage technology, to mitigate the demands of the all-electric approach.

Pursuing CHP and DH would reduce electricity demand 13%, the report estimates, and primary energy consumption by 5%.

Reducing demand, as well as the energy losses from power generation, would require less investment in grid infrastructure and fewer new power stations.

“The report highlights the enormous risks we face in focusing on electricity to meet our demands for energy services,” says Graham Meeks, director of the Combined Heat and Power Association (CHPA), which commissioned the report.

The ‘all- electric’ approach that the Government is currently pursuing can be improved, says report author Rob Gross. “The integrated scenario we have identified offers a potentially extremely valuable contribution to efforts to green our energy system.”

For further information:
www.chpa.co.uk
www3.imperial.ac.uk/
www.surrey.ac.uk/

Related stories:
UK Government unveils plans to transform country’s energy mix (10-Nov 2009)
UK boosts community-scale CHP with £8.8 million in funding (26-Aug 2009)
UK outlines plan for cutting emissions (16-Jul 2009)
Waste heat could meet 5% of UK requirements, says report (4-Jun 2009)