Demand for renewable energy ''very high''

26/06/2008

The government should do more to encourage the use of renewable energy in the UK, an industry member has claimed.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, David Gordon, chief executive of renewable energy firm Windsave, suggested the increasing demand for microgeneration should be promoted.

"In fact there's a very large demand for renewable energy for consumers but up until now it's been difficult for consumers to actually implement installations on their homes because of the planning issues," Mr Gordon told the programme.

He also claimed that increased use of renewable energy microgeneration technology would help the government to meet its sustainable power targets.

According to the expert, if 80 per cent of UK consumers adopted small-scale renewable energy, demand on the national grid could be reduced by up to five per cent.

Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph reported government ministers were discussing a range of incentives to encourage the use of renewable energy, as well as banning inefficient oil-fired boilers.