Global warming and climate change, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is widely recognised as presenting a serious threat to all living systems on Earth. The UK has already started to experience significant changes to its normal weather patterns.
Within the UK, climate change is predicted to have the following impacts:
One of the major causes of global warming is the emission of carbon dioxide from power stations burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) to generate electricity. In order to combat the threat of global warming, there is a need to obtain clean, diverse and sustainable supplies of energy from renewable sources such as wind.
The UK Government is committed to reducing carbon dioxide and other polluting gases. Under the Climate Change Act 2008 there are legally binding targets for green house gas emission reductions of at least 80% by 2050, and reductions in CO2 emissions of at least 26% by 2020, against a 1990 baseline.
On 15 July 2009, the Government published a set of documents on the future of the UK's energy sector: The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, The Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, a Consultation on Renewable Electricity Financial Incentives, and the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES).
The UK Renewable Energy Strategy sets out a range of measures to deliver the UK's share of the EU's Directive target, i.e. a legally binding target of 15% of energy to be produced from renewable sources by 2020 - an increase in the share of renewables by almost a factor of seven from about 2.25% in 2008, in scarcely more than a decade. The Strategy will help tackle climate change by reducing the UK's emissions of carbon dioxide by over 750 million tonnes between 2009 and 2030. It also promotes the security of energy supply, reducing overall fossil fuel demand by around 10% and gas imports by 20-30% against what they would have been in 2020. In terms of economic development, the Strategy forecasts that the measures will provide the potential to create up to half a million more jobs in the UK renewable energy sector resulting from around £100 billion of new investment.
To attain the 15% target, more than 30% (about 117 TWh) of electricity will need to be generated from renewables, up from about 5.5% today. It is expected that the majority (two-thirds) of this electricity will be from wind power, both on and offshore, with biomass, hydro and wave and tidal also playing important roles.
Renewable energy from sources such as the wind brings with it many benefits such as boosting economic welfare, offering greater energy independence, security of energy supply, lower energy costs, reduced fuel price risks, improved competitiveness, technology exports and new jobs.
The benefits wind energy brings can be grouped into three main areas: (1) environmental; (2) security in energy supply and increased diversity in the energy mix; and (3) economic development through business and employment opportunities and financial benefits.
Once it is built, a wind turbine emits no CO2 or other pollutants. According to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), over its 20-year life, a wind turbine will produce 80-120 times more energy than it consumes. The wind energy produced in Europe avoids the emission of 108 million tonnes of CO2 in 2008 - equal to 31% of the EU-15's Kyoto obligations and the equivalent of taking more than 50 million cars off the roads (1).
Recent studies show that CO2 costs avoided due to wind energy will increase from €2 billion in 2007 to €16 billion in 2020, and €43 billion in 2020. At the same time, wind energy production will be responsible for avoiding €4.4 billion of fuel costs in 2010, €12 billion in 2020 and €24 billion in 2030 (2).
Within its Climate Change fact sheet (3), the EWEA states, 'Wind power, as the frontrunner renewable technology, offers emissions-free power and, unlike nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS), can be deployed immediately and begin reducing CO2 emissions within the window of opportunity outlined by the IPCC.
For the EU as a whole, it is assumed that each kWh of wind power displaces a kWh created by the energy mix of coal, oil and gas at the time of production. On average in the EU, each GWh produced by wind energy saves approximately 780 tonnes of CO2'.
A diversity of energy sources - ensuring that the UK is not dependent on any one supplier, country or technology - is fundamental to managing the risks to the UK's security of supply. Renewable energy has a major part to play in this. The creation of electricity from renewable resources provides a source that is not open to interruption by the actions of foreign governments or others. The ability to ensure electricity suppliers from sources that are not open to foreign intervention is one of the key planks of the national energy policy (4).
Energy markets both within the UK and worldwide are in transition. In the past 20 years the coal and oil share of electricity generating capacity in the UK has halved, whilst gas usage has significantly increased. UK gas reserves have declined and the UK is now a net importer of gas. In 2007, gas imports increased by 14.5% while exports decreased by 7.5% (5). In the longer term, the decline in UK fossil fuels will leave the country more dependent on imports from international markets. The 2006 Energy Review Report estimates that the country could become a net importer of energy by 2010 and be importing as much as 90% of its gas needs by 2020 compared to 10% in 2006. The largest global reserves of oil and gas are concentrated in Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and African countries. Such dependency could undermine the security of supply, with risks possibly arising from elevated costs and terrorist activity.
As the majority of the required renewable electricity production is anticipated by the Government to be produced by wind, wind energy has a major part to play in helping the UK to avoid over dependence on imports and make the Country less vulnerable to security threats.
Renewable energy, and in particular wind, creates significant economic development opportunities both within Europe and the UK. According to a report from the EWEA (6), the EU wind energy sector directly employed approximately 108,600 people in 2007, and over the past five years the industry has created more than 60,000 new jobs, equating to employing 33 new people every day, seven days a week. It predicts that wind energy employment in the EU will be approximately 330,000 by 2020.
Within the UK, the wind energy industry directly employed 4000 people in 2007, with numerous more in indirect jobs, for example suppliers of raw materials (7).
In terms of financial benefits, wind energy is fuel free and so avoids volatile fuel and carbon costs.
According to the EWEA, 'Since wind power has zero fuel costs and a very low marginal cost, it not only reduces the uncertainty and the risk of the power system, it also contributes to the reduction of the overall price of electricity by displacing the most expensive generation options. A study carried out in Denmark shows that the price of power to consumers in 2004 to 2007 would have been 4-12 % higher if wind power had not contributed to power production. Studies in Germany and Spain have shown similar results' (8).
(1) EWEA, Press Release 19.03.09, and EWEA, February 2009, Fact Sheet: Climate Protection, (2) EWEA, February 2009, Fact Sheet: Invest in the Future (3) EWEA, February 2009, Fact Sheet: Climate Protection, (4) BERR, July 2009, UK Renewable Energy Strategy (5) BERR, June 2008, Energy Trends (6) EWEA, January 2009, Wind at Work - wind energy and job creation in the EU (7) EWEA, February 2009, Fact Sheet: Wind Energy and the Job Market, (8) EWEA, February 2009, Fact Sheet: Invest in the Future
