Renewable Energy Installer June 2014 | Página 5

“NEA believes the government must recognise that it is possible to ring-fence an element of the current domestic RHI budget to provide the necessary upfront capital support for low income households” Maria Wardrobe p7 News UK fossil fuels ‘gone in fi ve years’ A report from the Global Sustainability Institute has warned that Britain’s indigenous supplies of coal, oil and gas will be exhausted in just 5.2 years. Without a large increase in the proliferation of renewable energy, the UK’s reliance on imported fossil fuels will substantially grow, threatening energy security. Although this timespan is much shorter than expected, the news is even bleaker for France which has less than a year. With nuclear power requiring over a decade to come online, question marks remaining over the viability of fracking, plus political upheaval in carbon-rich regions such as Russia and the Middle East, the sector is urging the government to realign its energy policy more heavily towards renewables. Commenting on the study, RenewableUK’s director of external affairs, In the pits: North Sea gas and oil plus the UK’s coal stocks will run out sooner than expected expediting the need for large scale renewable energy, warns the Global Sustainability Institute Jennifer Webber, said: “This report is a timely reminder of the need to develop our nation’s signifi cant renewable energy resources to the maximum well before the UK’s fossil fuels dwindle away to nothing. That’s why it’s puzzling that the Conservatives have said they want to stop fi nancial support for future onshore wind projects, especially as onshore wind is the cheapest mainstream form of renewable energy we have in the toolkit. “The prospect of running out of fossil fuels in the UK by the end of the decade should focus minds on the absolute necessity of guaranteeing the generation of new low carbon power.” Paul McCullagh, chief executive of UrbanWind, added: “Renewables is without doubt a readily deployable and key part of the balanced solution to avoiding the energy crisis and reducing the UK’s carbon footprint. It is time for David Cameron to stop electioneering  and start taking pragmatic action to provide real, tangible and meaningful support for the renewables sector, including wind energy.” Judges confi rmed for Energy Effi ciency & Renewables Awards REI is delighted to announce the four judges who will join editor Paul Stephen on the panel for this year’s Energy Effi ciency & Renewables Awards. Bill Wright (ECA), Dave Sowden (SEA), Robert Burke (HETAS) and Virginia Graham (REAL) will run the rule over entries in the run up to the awards ceremony at London’s Kensington Roof Gardens on Friday 26 September. Readers only have until June 30 to enter the industry’s most prestigious awards in the categories to the right. Interest has already been strong and nomination packs can be requested by emailing [email protected] or by visiting the new website http://www. heatingandrenewablesroadshow.co.uk/ awards.php 2014 award categories • The Contribution Award • Commercial Project • Residential New Build Project • Residential Retrofi t Project • Green Innovation • Biomass Installer • High Effi ciency Boiler Installer • Insulation Installer • Controls Installer • Solar PV Installer • Solar Thermal Installer • Air Source Heat Pump Installer • Ground Source Heat Pump Installer • Commercial Installer • Energy Effi ciency & Renewables Installer   For sponsorship opportunities please contact Jonathan Hibbert on + 44 (0) 1565 626760 or [email protected] Renewable Energy Installer takes care to ensure that the information published is accurate and timely. Articles written by contributors for publication are checked where practicable for accuracy, but are accepted and published in good faith and Renewable Energy Installer cannot be held responsible for information that subsequently proves not to be accurate. Advertisers are responsible for the information contained in their adverts, and Renewable Energy Installer does not accept responsibility for inaccurate or misleading information contained in the adverts. www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk | 5