APPENDIX 6: FUTURE RENEWABLE ENERGY
TECHNOLOGIES
New forms of renewable energy and improvements to
existing technologies such as wind would help cut carbon emissions.
A long term prospect sometimes discussed is the possibility of
importing electricity generated from panels of solar photovoltaic
cells placed in the Sahara desert. Another possible development
in the Sahara is solar thermal power. Steel and glass mirrors
would capture energy from the sun to boil water with the resulting
steam used turning turbines to generate electricity. Algeria is
reported to be building an experimental solar thermal power plant
400 miles south of Algiers which could open next year.[62]
One of the key difficulties with both ideas would be transmitting
the electricity over the huge distance from the Sahara to consumers
in Britain. The Institution of Engineering and Technology argued
such projects had long term potential for North Africa with energy
being exported to continental Europe but were not suitable for
the UK. Another possibility might be to use solar generated electricity
to obtain hydrogen which could then be shipped to the UK (and
other countries) as a transport fuel.
Researchers are also examining ways to improve wind
power, a relatively well-established form of renewable generation.
Norwegian oil company StatoilHydro is testing technology that
would enable offshore turbines to float instead of having to plant
them on the seabed. If the tests are successful turbines could
then be used in much deeper water where the stronger wind is more
consistent. More power could then be generated which could help
bring down the cost per unit of electricity of offshore generation
which is currently higher than that of the more widely used onshore
turbines.
As outlined in Chapter 5 a heat technology that could
be developed in the future is the injection of biomethane that
can be injected into the gas grid. Biogas—a mixture of methane
and carbon dioxide—is first produced by bacteria breaking
down organic material such as food waste in the absence of oxygen
through a process called anaerobic digestion. The carbon dioxide
is then removed from the biogas to leave biomethane. Some European
countries have already begun injecting biomethane into their gas
grids but the Government's renewable energy consultation document
says such technologies require more innovation before they can
be deployed in the UK. The Government has contributed £10m
towards the construction of new anaerobic digestion plants.
In transport, scientists are developing 'second generation'
biofuels. First generation biofuels—which are in commercial
production today—are made from the parts of plants that
could otherwise be used as food such as wheat grain and sugar
cane. But second generation bio-fuels—which are not yet
available on a commercial scale—would be made using parts
of plants not used for food or whole plants that are not suitable
for food. Other possible avenues include electric cars, which
are not yet widely available, and hydrogen powered vehicles, which
are still in development. While both use electricity they could
count as renewable technologies if they use renewable sources
of power. Furthermore, as outlined in Chapter 5, such vehicles
could store electricity which would help ease the problems of
intermittency associated with most forms of renewable power generation.
62 The Economist, The Future of Energy, June 19, 2008
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