§ 43. Mr. PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made by his Department in exploiting new and renewable sources of energy following the publication in 1988 of "Renewable Energy in the U.K.: The Way Forward".
§ Mr. Michael SpicerSince the publication of energy paper 55 in June 1988, 70 projects committing a further 14 million have been initiated as part of our strategy to develop economically attractive and environmentally acceptable renewable sources of energy. These include a number of collaborative projects with industry aimed at encouraging and promoting the commercialisation of those technologies which are economically attractive, and improving technical performance and reducing capital cost for those technologies currently classed as promising but uncertain.
A comprehensive range of promotional literature is now available directed at both lay public audiences to raise general awareness about the prospects for renewable energy, and target professional audiences in particular market sectors to stimulate greater interest in the development of these technologies. Technology transfer plans are now being developed for each technology classed as economically attractive. Over the next year or two, increased effort will be placed on stimulating increased 335W industrial and commercial involvement in both the R and D programme and the uptake of economic technologies by industrial and commercial concerns.