UK To Struggle To Meet Green Energy Targets

Britain could struggle to hit its target of getting 15 percent of its energy from renewable resources within the next decade, according to a UK government report submitted to the European Union.

Interim targets for the next six years will cause even greater problems, causing Britain to fall behind its EU neighbors.
The European Union’s executive has been collating the energy forecasts of its 27 member nations to see if more needs to be done to cut climate-warming emissions.

Most have now replied saying they will hit their targets or over-achieve.

Britain submitted its forecast late on Monday, saying it was on track for its 15 percent goal if energy consumption remained at low or moderate levels.

Energy demand has fallen as the recession squeezed industrial output. Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 fell two percent to 628.3 million tonnes from 636.6 million in 2007, according to final figures published separately by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on Tuesday.

Unless consumption remains limited, the UK could fail to hit any of its interim renewables targets for the next six years.

Planet Ark