Energy Challenges

The European Union has committed to increasing the portion of energy that comes from renewable sources to 20% by 2020 in order to increase the security of energy supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This EU target was translated to renewable energy targets for each member state in 2001.

The policies goals of the UK’s renewable energy strategy are:

• to put the UK on a path to cutting CO2 emissions by some 60% by about 2050, with real progress by 2020;
• to maintain the reliability of energy supplies;
• to promote competitive markets in the UK and beyond;
• to ensure that every home is adequately and affordably heated.

To meet its renewable energy targets, the UK requires electricity suppliers to source an increasing portion of their electricity from renewable sources and provides subsidies, in the form of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs), to accredited generators of eligible renewable electricity.