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.
Solar and wind energy have no prospect of becoming economically competitive in an unrigged market, with government intervention leading to higher energy costs and jeopardising energy security, the document says. It is being published just as ministers are preparing further details on reform of the electricity market.
"For too long, we have been told that heavy investment in uneconomic renewable energy was not only necessary but would provide a secure future electricity supply," said Martin Livermore, co-author of the report and a self-styled consultant who has in the past questioned the science around global warming.
"The facts actually show that current renewables technologies are incapable of making a major contribution to energy security and have only limited potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions."
Livermore said the main drawbacks of wind and solar were that they must be backed up with gas, coal or nuclear generation when the wind does not blow or sun shine.
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