FIT systems are used by most EU countries

The UK trails behind.. / UK 1.3% 40% Next : the new EU targets for 2020 Austria 34% Denmark 30% Finland 38% Latvia 42% Portugal 31% Sweden 49% UK 15% .. still a way to go UK 1.3% /

But renewables are expensive..

..or are they? Cabinet Office PIU study 2003

£/MWh Frontier Economics 2008

Long term cost trends Source: SUNA Iran, paper to WREC X 2008

Past and Expected reductions from 1980 prices 100% 50% 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 Source: ‘U.S. Program in Renewable Energy- Effectiveness and Progress’, Stanley R. Bull, NREL, paper to WREC X 2008

US Generating cost in May 2008: California Energy Commission Data from: www.sourcewatch.org/ index.php?title=Comparative_electrical_generation_costs

But ….Wind power varies

Balancing variable Renewables At present, some gas plants are used the balance the variation in availability of conventional output and the daily cycles in demand. So they run up and down to full power regularly- perhaps twice daily. With more variable renewables on the grid, they will have to do this bit more often. It’s a minor operational issue, adding slightly to the cost. Balancing 20% from wind would add just 1-2% to domestic bills (‘Managing Variabilty’, David Milborrow,2009) .

The problem is not lack of wind (etc), it’s that we may at times have too much wind. If we try to have a large and increasing renewable contribution and also a large and increasing nuclear contribution, then there will be operational and economic conflicts, especially at times of low energy demand

Minimum Baseload ~ 20 GW (summer night) If Nuclear is at 20GW and we have 20GW of wind, plus say 10GW of tidal and wave, all delivering, then something has to be curtailed. Energy storage (e.g pumped hydro) and export, via new inter-connectors, could help. Output from the nuclear plants could also be curtailed to make room..but there are cost and operational penalties.

...and EDF says we can’t do much of that: ‘As the intermittent renewable capacity approaches the Government’s 32% proposed target, if wind is not to be constrained (in order to meet the renewable target), it would be necessary to attempt to constrain nuclear more than is practicable’. EDF's submission to the UK governments renewable energy strategy consultation: ‘UK Renewable Energy Strategy: Analysis of Consultation Responses’ Prepared for: Dept of Energy and Climate Change www.berr.gov.uk/files/file50119.pdf