In this sponsored post John Dallimore, head of origination at Scottish Power asks whether government changes signal a policy shift on the future of low carbon power.
The UK Government has recently made a raft of policy changes, impacting how we generate, access and sell low carbon energy, leaving many in the industry asking – has low carbon energy had its day?
From our perspective, and in short, no. Low carbon energy is more important now, than ever. The industry is constantly evolving; be that in terms of new technologies, public perception or indeed, Government policy. At ScottishPower we are committed to growing the industry and increasing awareness of it amongst our customers.
Last year, these amendments to prominent low carbon energy initiatives undoubtedly had an impact. Such measures included the early closure of the renewable obligation subsidy for onshore wind farms; the removal of the Climate Change Levy for renewable energy; and the postponement of the next Contracts for Difference auction for large renewables projects.
However, despite the changes to these better known-initiatives, there are still many options for commercial customers looking to utilise low carbon energy and save money along the way. A host of third party intermediaries, are entering the boardroom and offering businesses an array of alternative green options and incentives which will prove invaluable in the future.
In the UK, listed companies are required by regulation to report on their greenhouse gas emissions and across the board, large businesses are under increasing pressure to reduce their own carbon footprints. The low carbon options available through intermediaries, are not only practical solutions, but also prove beneficial to a company’s CSR and public image. Going green is popular with consumers, who are more aware than ever of climate change and the risks associated with it and show support for environmentally conscious companies.
Despite its policy changes, the UK Government is still committed to reducing the country’s carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. At ScottishPower we are doing our bit to making this happen, through continued investment in new renewable capacity, in both on and offshore windfarms. Under the existing renewable obligation, eight additional onshore windfarm projects, representing some 450MW of capacity, will bring our total wind capacity to over 2,000MW. We are also investing a further £2.6 billion under The Contract for Difference regime to construct the 714MW East Anglia offshore windfarm.
This is because we understand the need to drive green energy capabilities forward and know that ‘going green’ will continue to remain popular with businesses and consumers alike. That’s why we are working hard to lead the field in this arena and ultimately, embrace low carbon energy change. And, of course, we want to take you with us.
For information on the low carbon energy services available for ScottishPower commercial energy customers, please visit: www.scottishpower.co.uk/commercial-business
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