Why can we have coal and renewables?
At the moment, because of the conditions the government has established, the market is stacked in favour of coal. Increasingly the government is trying to fix the conditions to make nuclear more attractive too – although at this stage its future remains risky and uncertain. We need the coalition to adopt a framework which will deliver on their promise of successful clean energy industries. In other words, nuclear and coal power stand like two bouncers at the door blocking the way for renewables and efficiency and perpetuating our outdated, inefficient and centralised energy system. Given that no credible person supports continued unabated coal generation (ie coal plants without CCS technology) in the face of climate science, then the need for low-carbon energy generation seems inarguable – and the barriers almost entirely political. The Committee on Climate Change – the government’s main advisers on how to meet the UK’s carbon targets – have said that all coal stations in the UK should
