The Power to Transform the South West: How to Meet the Region’S Energy Needs Through Renewable Energy Generation

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The Power to Transform the South West: How to Meet the Region’S Energy Needs Through Renewable Energy Generation The power to transform the South West: How to meet the region’s energy needs through renewable energy generation Researched and written by The Resilience Centre Commissioned by Molly Scott Cato MEP Funded by the Green/EFA group in the European Parliament 1 This document has been commissioned by Molly Scott Cato Member of European Parliament (MEP) under formal request M/2015/043. It was funded by the Green/EFA group in the European Parliament. Disclaimer: This report has been produced by The Resilience Centre Limited within the terms of the contract with the client and taking account of the resources devoted to it by agreement with the client. We disclaim any responsibility to the client and others in respect of any matters outside the scope of the above. This report is confidential to the client and we accept no responsibility of whatsoever nature to third parties to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such party relies on the report at their own risk. The Resilience Centre Limited Registered in England No. 6788756 Registered Office: The Woodlands, Woodside, Woolaston, Lydney, GLOS, GL15 6PS Copyright is the property of The Resilience Centre Ltd and no part may be copied or reproduced in any format without prior permission. 2 Foreword by the Molly Scott Cato,Green MEP for South West England I am delighted to present this report from the Resilience Centre because it helps us to demonstrate in hard numbers just how much better a society powered by clean, green energy would really be. While we can have our long-running arguments about the aesthetic value of wind turbines or the environmental impact of tidal lagoons, what we really need to know is whether we can provide the electricity we need using renewable sources and what impact this will have on our economy and society. The rigorous analysis provided by Andrew Clarke and his team makes it clear that the answers to these questions are very positive indeed. The report focuses on two main issues: Can we deal with the baseload question, or can renewable sources provide the electricity we need even when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining? The answer to this question is a resounding yes. By a combination of energy saving, better-quality homes and improved methods of storage we need not fear the lights going out. Neither do we need to turn to the risky and expensive nuclear option. What will be the economic impact of the renewable energy transition? How can we pay for the infrastructure we need and what will be the impact on jobs? Here again, the evidence is extremely encouraging. Locally produced renewable energy will bring a huge economic boost, particularly to some of our more deprived rural areas, potentially generating £4.3 Billion a year for the South West economy or the equivalent of a 4% growth in the regional economy every year. We have reached the end-game of our battle to tackle the most dangerous threat facing humanity: the threat that we are changing our climate in such a way that we will no longer be able to live in comfort on our shared planet. This is the conflict between big technology, owned by mega-corporations, and focused on generating profits and the locally based, clean and green renewable technologies. As with so many aspects of our economic life, this report makes clear that the right decision from an environmental perspective is also the decision that will ensure greater economic justice and help us build flourishing local economies. So the conclusion of the report is a hugely encouraging one: here in the South West of England we have some of the world's best renewable energy resources, in great abundance and great variety, capable of boosting our rural economies and ensuring our energy security. All that is holding us back from the renewable revolution is a failure of political will and a refusal by our politicians to progress beyond the fossil-fuel past into the sunny uplands of our shared renewable future. 3 Executive summary This report was commissioned to study the ability of the South West of England to provide a reliable base load energy from renewable sources. For the purposes of the overall study, the South West of England is taken to form one of nine official regions of England, totalling some 23,800km2 and comprising Gloucestershire, Bristol (West of England), Wiltshire (Including Swindon), Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly. This report forms a summary document that draws together the wealth of information that has been produced on onshore and offshore marine energy potential for the region in recent years. The review was focused on sourcing studies that have characterised the status of the renewable energy industry across the South West, including: • Data on the potential resource (to understand how much energy may be available) • The likely constrained potential for each technology broken down into each County (with some overlap here between counties for offshore marine resources) • The technology or developers with an interest in the region (to understand what type and scale of project may come forward) • Anticipated project cost and associated economic benefit to each county and the region (to understand the potential relative cost-benefit of such schemes) • Projections on the number of jobs created per technology and for every 1000MWhrs (GWhr) of energy generated • The percentage of each county’s total energy demand that can be met by each technology • The total potential amount of energy generated by each technology broken down into thermal and electrical energy for each county and the region. Key headline messages from the report: 1. The South West region has the renewable energy resources to meet more than 100% of its total energy needs, including replacement of liquid fuels and electrifying railways. 2. We could generate 67,448,817 MWhrs/year of renewable energy as 42,690,806 MWehrs of electrical energy and 24,758,010 MWth of thermal energy (67,449 GWhrs/year) from 31,804 MW of Generating Capacity (thermal & electricity). 4. 34% of energy needs can be met from marine and inshore estuarine tidal energy, and 66% from onshore renewables. 5. To enable the devenopment of renewable energy generation we would suggest installing 12,051 MWe capacity of smart grid energy storage to balance intermittency of renewables and allow demand led local smart grids to be developed. 6. This energy storage would provide 19,281,000 MWhrs/year or 29% of energy as demand required. 4 7. An estimated 122,000 full time equivalent jobs could be created if we deliver and maintain this renewable energy generation regionally, an increase in employment of 4.5% for the region. 8. We estimate that the capital cost of delivering such a programme would be £59,484m, including £8,784m on Smart Grid energy storage. This is 72% of equivalent nuclear costs for delivering the same amount of energy. 9. The equivalent cost of delivering 100% of the South West energy needs from nuclear is £82,510m or 138% of the equivalent cost of delivering with renewable energy. 10. Renewables costs provide for a local smart grid with energy storage and flexibility to meet spikes and drops in demand and reduce need for large scale pylons and transmission systems. 11. Renewables costs include £500m/year investment in local/regional grid reinforcement and upgrade, equivalent to an increased annual expenditure on grid upgrade and management of 64% each year. 12. The potential annual value added for delivering the constrained renewable energy resources of the South West would be £4,286m/year, equivalent to an annual growth rate of 4.0% year on year and equivalent to 48% of the total value of the tourism industry and 87% of the aerospace and defence industry in the South West. A list of data sources that have informed this report can be found in the Appendices. 5 Contents Foreword by the Molly Scott Cato,Green MEP for South West England ........................................................ 3 Executive summary ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Key headline messages from the report: .................................................................................................... 4 Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 10 2 Cornwall & Isles of Scilly ............................................................................................................................ 11 2.1 Introduction and key facts.................................................................................................................. 11 2.2 Renewable Generating Potential ....................................................................................................... 11 2.3 The economics of renewable energy generation in Cornwall ............................................................ 13 2.4 Key Drivers.......................................................................................................................................... 13 Political ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 Geography ...............................................................................................................................................
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