Clean Growth Strategy targets oil heating
IN OCTOBER 2017 , THE UK GOVERNMENT UNVEILED ITS CLEAN GROWTH STRATEGY .
THIS AMBITIOUS 163-PAGE DOCUMENT SETS OUT THE PRIORITIES THAT NEED TO BE ACHIEVED IF THE GOVERNMENT IS TO MEET ITS 2032 DECARBONISATION TARGET . THE STRATEGY HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR THE PACE OF DECARBONISATION TO ACCELERATE , IF THERE IS TO BE ANY CHANCE OF THE GOVERNMENT MEETING ITS GREEN TARGETS
Below Malcolm Farrow , marketing and communications manager at OFTEC , comments on the strategy .
Much of the strategy deals with transport and industry ; collectively these sectors account for about half of all UK carbon emissions . However , homes , which account for around 13 %, are also a focus of the report . Progress here has been relatively slow , particularly in dealing with emissions from heat .
“ THE GOVERNMENT SEES THE OFF-GRID SECTOR AS A PRIMARY TARGET IN THE WAR TO REDUCE CARBON ”
One reason for the slow pace is that the government has seen energy efficiency and carbon reduction as two separate goals . Policies in one area have sometimes conflicted with those in another , undermining overall progress . And , while some schemes have been very successful , policies such as Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive ( RHI ), have been poorly thought out and implemented .
The bad news for the oil heating industry is that the government sees the off-grid sector as a primary target in the war to reduce carbon . The reason for this isn ’ t clear as it contributes less than 2 % of the emissions . However , it may be a tacit admission that many of the bigger challenges are very hard to tackle , whereas decarbonising the off-grid sector , while difficult , may just be manageable . However , when it comes to achieving it , much of the government ’ s thinking remains stuck in the past , with oil heating seen as ‘ the problem ’ and electric heating seen as ‘ the solution ’.
This has already led the government to increase tariffs for the domestic RHI scheme in a bid to boost demand for its preferred renewable technology , heat pumps , and , to a lesser extent , biomass boilers . Further policy measures are expected to follow , but it is very unlikely that the government will compel homeowners to switch from oil because the alternatives are much more expensive .
Where will all the decarbonised electricity come from ? Aside from cost , one obvious problem with the government ’ s plan is where all the decarbonised electricity will come from ….? With demand for electric vehicles also expected to grow , overall generation will need to increase substantially . Worse still , existing renewable electricity generation averages just 25 %, so there ’ s a long way to go before even the heat pumps of today are truly renewable , let alone those that the government wants installed in the future .
OFTEC ’ s vision for decarbonising oil-fired homes Perhaps not surprisingly , alternative proposals are emerging , including OFTEC ’ s vision for decarbonising oil-using homes by upgrading boilers and then introducing a low carbon replacement for kerosene . This suggestion has been well-received but OFTEC will need to work hard to convince government that it deserves their support . With the current RHI set to run until 2021 , we must work quickly to produce a credible liquid fuel option , ready for consideration as part of the future low carbon energy mix .
Several viable bio-liquid fuel options have already been reviewed by a German university
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with UK tests expected to start this winter with HVO , our preferred product . Our optimism is backed up by two influential recent reports that highlight the importance of pursuing all low carbon options , including bio-liquids , as part of the overall energy mix . This approach would help to ensure that there are a range of options for homeowners and healthy competition within the heating market , which is vital if low-carbon heating is to be accepted by consumers .
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“ CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY TO NICK , JANE AND ALL THE TEAM .”
NEIL RYDING , MANAGING DIRECTOR , FAST
40 years
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