Renewable Energy - UK to become sustainable, minister urges

12/05/2008

A government official believes that the UK has to take steps to become more sustainable, it has been reported.

Speaking at the Think 08 conference, Hilary Benn, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, said that UK homeowners and businesses need to take part in the battle against climate change, according to Buildingtalk.

Noting that UK households account for one per cent of global carbon emissions, Mr Benn pointed out that efforts to become sustainable can have incentives other than saving the environment.

"The rising cost of energy offers an opportunity. You can point out to people that they can save the climate and save energy at the same time," he said.

Also, Mr Benn said that the UK could adopt a feed-in tariff, similar to the one used in Germany, to encourage microgeneration technology.

Under this system, extra power that households produce from renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, biomass boilers and wind turbines, can be sold to electricity companies at a higher than normal cost.

Think 08, which was held on May 7th and 8th, looked at ways for the built environment to contribute towards the UK's aim of lower emissions and become more sustainable.