Last week the Guardian ran a series of articles about wind energy in response to recent shifts in political and public support. The articles covered a wide range of issues including investment, efficiency and environmental impact, and UKERC expertise and research was used to help separate fact from fiction.
In article which challenged the myth that turbines increase carbon emissions, as claimed by the think tank Civitas, Guardian features journalist Leo Hickman cited a quote by UKERC Co-Director Dr Rob Gross, who said: "Extreme estimates usually result from flawed or overly simplistic methodologies, unrealistic assumptions, or misallocation of costs. UKERC undertook a thoroughgoing review of the evidence base available in 2006 on the costs and impacts of intermittency ... Electrical engineering based modelling and simulation, and increasingly empirical data from countries where the penetration of windfarms has reached a significant level (such as Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Germany and some US states), demonstrates conclusively that wind does reduce emissions."
Read the full article here - http://tinyurl.com/7znumxu
Dr Gross was also interviewed by Damian Carrington, the Guardian’s Head of Environment, to help provide a comprehensive analysis of the price of wind power compared to gas. Carrington wrote: “Electricity produced by wind turbines in the UK may be cheaper than that generated by burning gas within five years, even if the climate-warming pollution from the latter is allowed to be pumped straight into the air. That is one startling implication of a comprehensive analysis produced for the Guardian by experts at Imperial College London and the UK Energy Research Centre”
Read the full article here - http://tinyurl.com/6ufcoya
The Guardian was also privy to early findings of UKERC research into electricity cost methodologies, which reveal the emerging trends for the future costs of gas along with wind energy.
Read the full article here - http://tinyurl.com/733fwcq
UKERC’s Technology and Policy Assessment theme has conducted various studies into the effectiveness of wind energy. Its 2006 ‘Intermittency’ report, which assessed the evidence on the costs and impacts of intermittent generation on the electricity network, is currently being revisited and updated.
The ‘Great Expectations’ report , released in 20120, provides a thorough review of the current state of knowledge in offshore wind power costs.
Listen to Dr Rob Gross call for a more informed debate on renewable energy by downloading the ‘Truth about wind power’ podcast, produced by Imperial College London.
Useful links
Technology and Policy Assessment theme
Dr Robert Gross academic profile
Notes to Editors:
For further information please contact Lindsay Wright or Charlotte Knight at the UK Energy Research Centre:
lindsay.wright@ukerc.ac.uk – 020 7594 2669
charlotte.knight@ukerc.ac.uk – 020 7594 1573
The UK Energy Research Centre carries out world-class research into sustainable future energy systems. It is the hub of UK energy research and the gateway between the UK and the international energy research communities. Our interdisciplinary, whole-systems research informs UK policy development and research strategy.
www.ukerc.ac.uk