§ Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much capital grant funding is available from 2002 to 2006 for the(a) offshore wind, (b) biomass and (c) solar PV industries as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if she will make a statement. [80213]
§ Mr. WilsonI will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress made in implementing regional assessments and targets for renewable energy provisions; and what effect they have on the planning and promotion at regional and local level of on-shore wind farms. [80010]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Government initiated regional assessments throughout all regions in the UK. These studies identified each region's renewable energy resource. This information is now available on the DTI Website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/renewable/oxerareport.pdf.
This report also sets out each region's possible contribution to our national 10 per cent. target.
We would encourage Local Planning Authorities to earmark sites in their local development plans for renewable energy developments.
Development plans provide the basis for decisions on specific development proposals. These ensure that planning decisions are not arbitrary and that developers have a measure of certainty about what development is allowed.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many applications to develop(a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms her Department has received in each year since 1997; and how many of these have been approved. [80009]
§ Mr. WilsonThe following is the information requested:740W
Onshore Windfarms Applications Approvals 1997–99 0 0 2000 1 0 2001 0 0 2002 (to date) 0 1
Offshore Windfarms Applications Approvals 1997–2000 0 0 2000 1 0 2001 0 0 2002 (to date) 7 2
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas) of 17 October 2002,Official Report, c. 891W, what criteria are being used in the development of the United Kingdom wind speed database. [80063]
§ Mr. WilsonThe UK windspeed database has now been made available on the DTI website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/renewable/windspeed/online.html.
The data is the result of an air flow model that estimates the effect of topography on wind speed. Each value stored in the database is the estimated average windspeed for a 1 km square at 10m, 25m and 45m above ground level. The database does not take account of local thermally driven winds, topography on a small scale or local surface roughness. The data is intended as a guide to be followed by on-site measurements.
The database uses the Ordnance Survey grid system for Great Britain and the grid system of the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what percentage of the United Kingdom's energy is generated from wind energy; and what percentage it will have to be if the Renewables Obligation is to be met in 2010. [80011]
§ Mr. WilsonIn 2001 0.03 per cent. of the total primary inland consumption of energy in the United Kingdom was accounted for by onshore and offshore wind, with all renewable sources together accounting for 1.3 per cent. Electricity generated from wind accounted for 0.3 per cent. of electricity sold in the UK in 2001 with all renewable sources eligible for the renewables obligation together accounting for 1.5 per cent.
The Government have a target for 10 per cent. of licensed electricity supplies in the UK to be generated from sources eligible for the Renewables Obligation by 2010, but this Obligation is a market based approach and the deployment levels for individual renewables technologies are for the industry rather than the Government. We would, however, expect a significant contribution to the 10 per cent. target to be from onshore and offshore wind energy.