RenewableUK has welcomed a ringing endorsement of the wind, wave and tidal energy industries by the Energy Secretary Edward Davey at the trade association’s annual conference in Birmingham.
Namely, Mr Davey used his speech at RenewableUK event to “confirm and reconfirm the Government’s commitment to renewable energy.” He also noted that the UK is a world’s leader in offshore wind with potential to hit 39GW of installed capacity by 2030.
The Energy Secretary pointed out that “investment in innovation now will improve the affordability of the technologies we deploy in the future; reduce bills for households and businesses; and strengthen energy security”. He said successful innovation could save up to £160 billion in energy supply costs to 2050, and contribute up to £89 billion to the UK economy over the same period.
With 35,000 green collar jobs in renewable energy sector and increased capacity by almost 40% since 2012, Mr Davey believes that the UK will use more than 30% of electricity from renewables by 2020.
Praising Mr Davey’s speech, RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Maria McCaffery pointed out:
“ Mr Davey made it clear that wind plays a crucial role in the UK’s energy portfolio and that role will continue to increase in importance in the years ahead.”
Offshore WIND staff, November 6, 2013; Image: renewableuk