UK must keep its lead in marine energy drive: parliamentary committee says
The UK Government should give priority to ensure that the country remains at the cutting edge of developments in the field of marine energy, the energy & climate change committee recommended.
The parliamentary committee warned that the country would squander the lead unless the Government focused on slashing costs and setting pushy deployment targets beyond 2020.
It reminded the Government that the UK lost its lead in wind power to Denmark in the 1980s, and now Denmark is enjoying a large share of the global turbine manufacturing market.
Tim Yeo, chairman of the committee, said, "Britannia really could rule the waves when it comes to marine renewable energy. It should be a priority for the government to ensure that the UK… does not allow our lead to slip.”
More than 80 per cent of large-scale prototype wave & tidal devices installed around the globe are in the UK but experts warned that they would not be able to make a big contribution to its energy mix before the year of 2020.
The Committee stressed that the Government must take steps to slash costs as marine technology is still a very costly way to produce electricity as compared with other sources.
Marine renewables are currently providing around a fifth of total electricity demand in the UK. The Government has an aim to produce 200-300 megawatts of marine capacity by the year of 2020.
