changing cabon regime
The Conservatives’ initiatives on climate change have been thought through and costed
It means that whoever fills the Cabinet chair will be able to hit the ground running.
investment in wind turbines because the
payback period exceeds five years; one
“We believe very passionately that there is a need to change the
of the criteria it uses to select the
balance between large scale energy providers and the large scale
projects it can support from its limited
energy users. That means encouraging schools and hospitals – as
budgets.
well as the major consumers in the private sector - to generate their
Promoting local generation
own electricity. The best way of achieving that is through
Salix is a real example of a sound initia-
Combined Heat and Power systems.”
tive that cannot take a more commer- sufficient. There has to be an attractive same endless iterative process of re-
cial view of investment in renewables. learning process, which makes skills view that the Labour Party has pursued
Is there a case for stimulating that sec- easy to acquire so that workers are not for the past decade. It will take all of
tor to help organisations engage more forced into a situation where they have those measures to unleash the poten-
directly in power generation? to lose their job simply to find employ- tial of the UK clean energy sector.”
“We believe very passionately that ment in the new low carbon economy.”
there is a need to change the balance
between large scale energy providers
Continuity likely?
and the large scale energy users. That
Examining the challenges
With a General Election necessarily
means encouraging schools and hospi- 2020 is little more than a decade away. less than fifteen months away, and with
tals – as well as the major consumers in What obstacles are there along that road the serious prospects of a change of
the private sector - to generate their own that a Conservative Government would government at that time, could we rea-
electricity. need to overcome? Greg Barker took a sonably expect to find the Department
“In practice, the best way of achieving view: “The greatest challenge will be to of Energy and Climate Change still
that is through Combined Heat and Power reconcile the twin objectives of secur- represented at the Cabinet table?
systems, where electricity is generated ing our energy through that decade and Clearly, Greg Barker could not speak
in the process. It must not become a transforming the economy into a new for the Conservative Leader, but he was
planning issue, however, which can hold low-carbon model. keen to stress that “The absolute fo-
back progress. Plant can be installed very “There has to be a steady programme cus of the first Cameron term would
effectively in the basement of many of of investment and upgrading, and the be on policy rather than the depart-
those buildings.” creation of a regulatory environment that mental architecture of Whitehall.
can integrate established technology “If, in due course, we find that the
Strategy on skills
with new technologies such as Carbon infrastructure of government policy
Capture and Storage. needs tweaking, then we will be ready
The availability of skills has been seen ”It is vital that we consult, but have a to change it.”
as an obstacle to reaching the 2020 car- clear sense of what we want to achieve
bon reduction target. without getting weighed down in the
Barker accepts that this is a major
Preparing for action
challenge facing the climate change What happens between now and 2020
sector as a whole. “We are currently pro- is more than academic: it has a bear-
ducing a policy pamphlet on that issue ing right across the economy and on
given its importance. If the UK economy the lives of those operating and living
does not have the skills available, they within it.
have to be provided. The policy initiatives set out by the
“We will have to re-tool Britain over a Conservative Shadow DECC team
period of a decade, and the people who have been thought through carefully
will then be available will be in the mid- and costed. It means that whoever fills
dle of their working lives. Putting them the Cabinet chair will be able to hit
on conversion courses alone will not be the ground running. §
The Informed Executive
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