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Provision of Evidence of the Conservation Impacts of Energy Production

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Provision of Evidence of the Conservation Impacts of Energy Production PROVISION OF EVIDENCE OF THE CONSERVATION IMPACTS OF ENERGY PRODUCTION Contract No: C08-0182-0021 A project for JNCC Support Co. FINAL REPORT 16/9/08 Graham Tucker, Samuela Bassi, Jason Anderson, Joana Chiavari, Kristin Casper and Malcolm Fergusson (IEEP) Citation and disclaimer This document should be quoted as follows: Tucker, G., Bassi, S., Anderson, J., Chiavari, J., Casper, K. and Fergusson, M. (2008): Provision of Evidence of the Conservation Impacts of Energy Production. Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), London, [201] pp. & Annexes. The contents and views contained in this document are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent those of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee or its Support Company. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... VI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................................................VII ACRONYMS...............................................................................................................X 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................1 1.1.1 UK Climate and Energy Policy ...................................................................1 1.1.2 Specific National Low-Carbon Energy Technology Policies......................2 1.1.3 Impacts of energy technologies on the environment and environmental objectives....................................................................................................................3 1.2 Objectives and scope of the study....................................................................3 1.3 Structure of the report......................................................................................4 2 METHODS............................................................................................................6 2.1 Information sources and search methods etc .................................................6 2.2 Review and selection of energy scenarios .......................................................6 2.3 Comparison of the impacts of selected energy scenarios on biodiversity....7 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND TRANSMISSION.........................................................................................................9 3.1 Overview: UK energy .......................................................................................9 3.2 Coal...................................................................................................................15 3.2.1 Technology description.............................................................................15 3.2.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................16 3.3 Gas....................................................................................................................17 3.3.1 Technology description.............................................................................17 3.3.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................18 3.4 Oil .....................................................................................................................19 3.4.1 Technology description.............................................................................19 3.4.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................20 3.5 Nuclear.............................................................................................................21 3.5.1 Technology description.............................................................................21 3.5.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................22 ii 3.6 Hydrogen .........................................................................................................23 3.6.1 Technology description.............................................................................23 3.6.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................23 3.7 Hydro-electric power......................................................................................24 3.7.1 Technology description.............................................................................24 3.7.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................25 3.8 Wind.................................................................................................................26 3.8.1 Technology description.............................................................................26 3.8.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................26 3.9 Solar (PV and solar water heating) ...............................................................28 3.9.1 Technology description.............................................................................28 3.9.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................30 3.10 Wave .............................................................................................................31 3.10.1 Technology description.............................................................................31 3.10.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................31 3.11 Tidal..............................................................................................................32 3.11.1 Technology description.............................................................................32 3.11.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................33 3.12 Biomass.........................................................................................................34 3.12.1 Technology description.............................................................................34 3.12.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................34 3.13 Biofuel...........................................................................................................35 3.13.1 Technology description.............................................................................35 3.13.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................36 3.14 Waste ............................................................................................................37 3.14.1 Technology description.............................................................................37 3.14.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................37 3.15 Combined heat and power / district heating.............................................38 3.15.1 Technology description.............................................................................38 3.15.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................38 3.16 Microgeneration ..........................................................................................39 3.16.1 Technology description.............................................................................39 3.16.2 Overview of potential environmental impacts...........................................40 4 REVIEW AND SELECTION OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND SCENARIOS ..............................................................................................................48 4.1 Future energy scenarios .................................................................................48 4.2 Scenarios for analysis .....................................................................................55 iii 5 IMPACT ANALYSIS FOR SELECTED TECHNOLOGIES .......................59 5.1 Coal...................................................................................................................60 5.1.1 Characterisation of the technology in the UK ...........................................60 5.1.1 Environmental impacts..............................................................................65 5.2 Gas....................................................................................................................73 5.2.1 Characterisation of the technology in the UK ...........................................73 5.2.2 Environmental impacts..............................................................................76 5.3 Oil .....................................................................................................................81 5.3.1 Characterisation of the technology in the UK ...........................................81 5.3.2 Environmental impacts..............................................................................84 5.4 Nuclear.............................................................................................................87 5.4.1 Characterisation of the technology in the UK ...........................................87 5.4.2 Environmental impacts..............................................................................89 5.5 Wind.................................................................................................................95 5.5.1 Characterisation of the technology in the UK ...........................................95 5.5.2 Environmental impacts..............................................................................98 5.6 Tidal
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