Policy Exchange: Renewables focus will cost more

Simon Less, head of the thinktank Policy Exchange’s environment unit, said:

“Focusing on a long-term strategy for reducing carbon emissions, across the economy, is the right approach.

“However at present the UK is also committed to hitting a short-term target for deploying particular, renewable technologies under the 2020 European renewable energy target. This will make the government’s new carbon budget more expensive and harder to achieve.

“The renewable energy target has led to the government ploughing enormous subsidies into off shore wind, neglecting other more cost-effective technologies which could meet the UK’s long-term carbon reduction goals at a much cheaper cost.”