With the government announcement ‘calls to reduce the subsidy by 25% have been resisted in favour of a 10% drop’, the renewables sector will no doubt be analysing the finely balanced issues of business and consumer energy bills, carbon reduction commitments, investment opportunity and complete decarbonisation.
According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), in an announcement by energy secretary Ed Davy: “Renewable energy will create a multi-billion pound boom for the British economy, driving growth and supporting jobs across the country.”
In response to the growing need for businesses to better understand and appropriately respond to the changing legislative environment, Rhian Kelly the head of climate change from CBI, will be discussing the business case for on-site renewable energy and how energy prices and the use of renewable technologies change the competitive positioning of UK plc on 11 September at The Renewables Event, a unique show focussed on onsite renewable energy.
Event director of The Renewables Event, Jamie Cook, welcomed the announcement: “With the Renewables Obligation (RO) banding now set out for 2013-17, the UK’s commitment to specific renewable energy sources is now assured removing some of the uncertainty that held back investment. The DECC has an obligation to the consumers that pay for the subsidies to mitigate as much of the expense as possible, but it is clearly important that policy is set towards a sustainable future, and we welcome this commitment.”
Debate concerning concessions to the harder line hinted at by Chancellor George Osbourne in previous statements regarding the affordability of high subsidy levels is likely to continue and centre on the inclusion of gas policy in longer term thinking, rather than total decarbonisation. And while multi-billion-pound investment figures and hundreds of thousands of jobs are discussed, Jamie Cook pointed out where the most influential thinkers, movers and shakers will be, come 11 and 12 September: “We created The Renewables Event as a free conference to run alongside the highly successful Energy Event as a response to calls from across the energy sector for a specific event that focuses on the opportunities for onsite renewables and offers real solutions for businesses, from high energy users to smaller companies.”
The Renewables Event provides information for organisations looking to progress or develop an onsite renewables strategy. It has attracted companies from across the onsite renewable energy sector. Organisations such as: Myriad Group, juwi renewable energies and Andritz Group have taken space on the show floor to showcase their products and services to over 4,000 energy and finance professionals with a keen eye on investing in onsite renewable technologies. In addition to the information and expertise available from the stands, the conference and seminar programme, chaired by leading eco-design consultant Professor Rob Holdway from Giraffe Innovation, will include presentations from some high-level innovators and influencers. Seminars will cover: renewable energy technologies; solar PV; biomass & anaerobic digestion; carbon reduction; sustainability and also feature a number of practical case studies and advice on the hot topics and issues relating to the renewable energy technology sector today. The sessions are completely free to attend, making it a cost effective way to continue professional development.
To register for your free place or for more information about the show, please visit www.therenewablesevent.com and use priority code EPR8