The Guardian, Monday 12 December 2011
Renewables policy overambitious and unrealistic, argues Adam Smith Institute
Britain is heading for an energy crisis by the middle of the decade due to the government’s “unrealistic” reliance on wind, solar and other high-cost renewable energy technologies, according to a controversial report out today.
Ministers are failing to factor in the cost of dealing with intermittent energy sources and ignoring the implications of burdening consumers with higher energy bills, said the right-leaning Adam Smith Institute and Scientific Alliance.
The report argues the renewable energy roadmap for 2020 is hugely overambitious. It says the target has already been reduced but current renewable power generation is still 28% short of meeting it.