The 2012 Queen’s Speech announced that "My Government will propose reform of the electricity market to deliver secure, clean and affordable electricity and ensure prices are fair”. This will be done through the latest in a line of Energy Bills, published in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny on 22 May 2012.
The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme is a mandatory carbon emissions reporting and trading scheme for large public and private sector organisations. It is currently under review and if it cannot be simplified to produce “very significant administrative savings” for businesses, then it will be replaced by “an alternative environmental tax” on which the Government will consult in Autumn 2012.
Changes to the building regulations are currently being consulted upon. These have led to press reports of a ‘conservatory tax’ of up to 10% on certain home improvements, through required associated energy efficiency measures. Reports have also said that people will be forced to take out green deal loans if they cannot afford to fund these improvements.
This note summarises details of Solar PV feed-in tariffs, including the various reviews of tariffs for solar, the latest consultation published in February 2012, and the Government's defeat in the courts.
Tar sands (oil sands) have potential to provide a significant fraction of future global oil demand but there are concerns, acknowledged in an EC Fuel Quality Directive, about their environmental impact, not least on greenhouse gas emissions.
This note (March 2011) examines the policy and issues relating to carbon capture and storage and in particular, how it relates to coal-fired energy generation.
This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Energy Bill. It complements Library Research Paper 11/36 (Energy Bill) prepared for the Commons Second Reading.
Air Transport Statistics by Tom Rutherford (SN/SG/3760). This note looks in detail at trends in air travel in the UK and the latest official projections, passenger fatality rates; fares, air freight, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. It includes some key facts on aviation's contribution to the economy and employment. Some international comparisons of air transport are also given.
This briefing on the Energy Bill has been prepared for the Second Reading Debate in the House of Commons. The flagship policy in the Bill is the “Green Deal”, a scheme whereby homes would be given finance upfront to make energy efficiency improvements, which would then be paid for by energy bill savings. The Bill would also set up a new obligation on energy companies to help certain groups of consumers with saving energy, who need extra support.
The Bill also introduces a range of other measures designed to improve energy efficiency; such as facilitating the roll-out of smart meters, widening access to energy performance certificates and making information on energy bills clearer. The Bill also provides measures designed to help improve energy security, to encourage low carbon generation and to grant additional powers to the Coal Authority to charge for certain services.