§ Keith VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much energy was produced by renewable resources in the United Kingdom, in megawatts, broken down by generating source, in the last year for which figures are available; and how much energy was produced by fossil fuels. [103924]
§ Mr. WilsonThe information requested is as follows and relates to 2001. Renewables accounted for 2.6 per cent. of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2001. Early estimates suggest that this rose to 3 per cent. in 2002. Detailed data for 2002 will not be available until June 2003.
32W
Electricity generated in the UK from renewable sources and from fossil fuels GWh Wind 967 Solar photovoltaics 2 Hydro 4,055 Landfill gas 2,507 Sewage sludge digestion 363 Municipal solid waste combustion1 948 Other biofuels2 770 Wastes 3,4 488
Electricity generated in the UK from renewable sources and from fossil fuels GWh Total generation from renewables3,5 10,099 Total generation from coal, oil and gas 279,213 1 Biodegradable part only 2 Includes poultry litter combustion, meat and bone combustion, straw and short rotation coppice 3 Includes some waste of fossil fuel origin 4 Non biodegradable part of municipal solid waste 5 Because of rounding constituent parts do not sum to the total Source:
Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2002, Tables 7.4 and 5.6
§ Keith VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding was allocated to development of renewable energy in each of the last five years; what areas the investments have been focused on; and when projects are expected to become economically viable. [103941]
§ Mr. WilsonPayments from the DTI's Renewable Energy Programme for each of the last five years have been as follows:
£ million 1997–98 6.8 1998–99 5.9 1999–2000 7.9 2000–01 9.7 2001–02 13.6 Government have followed a market-driven policy, rather than prescribing a specific focus for this research activity. The research and development projects supported have been the best proposals emanating from the renewable energy industry.
Large-scale hydro and energy from waste are already commercially viable and well-established in the market. With the benefit of the Renewables Obligation, onshore wind also becomes commercially viable. Over the next four years, the Government plan to provide nearly £350 million direct support, mainly in the form of capital grants, to help more forms of renewable energy achieve economic viability, but we cannot predict when this will be achieved. The Energy White Paper gives some broad indications about the possible timescale on page 55, "A Renewables Timeline."