Full details of generation from renewable energy in 2005 will be published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics on 27 July 2006, a copy of which will be available from the Libraries of the House.
It is currently estimated that 4.2 per cent. of the UK’s electricity was generated from all sources of renewable energy in 2005.
The Government’s main mechanism for delivering new renewable generating capacity is the renewables obligation (RO). The RO requires electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of their electricity sales from eligible sources of renewable energy.
As support to the RO, the Government are also investing around £500 million, between 2002 and 2008, in capital grants and research and development on renewable energy. Money that has already been allocated includes £50 million for the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund and £117 million for offshore wind. The Chancellor also announced in the Budget a further £50 million, on top of the £30 million that I had previously announced, for the Low Carbon Building Programme, which supports microgeneration and energy efficiency measures.