News - Regional Monitoring of Renewable Energy

Summary

More than 35 people, covering all but one of the English regions, attended a seminar aimed at exploring the potential for monitoring the performance of renewable energy projects at a regional level. The event was held at the DTI Conference Centre, London on 18th March and was convened by the DTI, the Government Office for the South East and TV Energy.

Participants heard presentations on the existing national renewable energy statistics system (RESTATS), the need for a regional approach to monitor progress on the devolved renewable energy targets, and the prototype South East database and website, www.SEE-Stats.org. A discussion on the logistical and methodological issues surrounding such a statistics system followed, with contributions from renewable experts and regional representatives who presented their own experiences and initial preferences.

The main conclusions to emerge from the seminar were: 

1.There is a real need for a means of tracking regional progress towards monitoring existing regional targets, not currently fulfilled by the present national statistics systems;

2.However, it is essential that a common methodology is adopted across the regions, in line with national and international standards;

3.Given the relative 'clean sheet' at the regional level, this is a golden opportunity to develop a system that serves the needs of tracking local political, planning and technological progress, for renewable energy overall and the individual technologies

4.Such a system should also project likely future scenarios, according to current trends of project success rates. It should cover the generation (and preferably also consumption) of heat and transport fuels as well as that of electricity;

5.This opportunity can include 'added-value' aspects: the socio-economic and environmental benefits of renewables, recording the reasons for failures and successes of proposals, and promoting renewable energy technologies and projects to local communities;

6.To this end, an informal exploratory network comprising relevant representatives of the English regions is being formed, and the three devolved countries should also be consulted and involved in developments.

If you are interested in providing input to the process or becoming directly involved with the new Regional Monitoring of Renewable Energy forum, please get in touch with Gabriel Berry on 01635 817420 or email info@tvenergy.org.

Presentations were given as follows:

'Welcome from the DTI' (PowerPoint 71KB) - Graham White (Director - Social Issues and Information, Energy Group, DTI)

'The Importance of Sound Data & Their Uses' (PowerPoint 11MB) - Mike Janes (Energy Markets Analysis and Information, DTI)

'National Renewable Energy Statistics and Methodology' (PowerPoint 1.06MB) - Steve Dagnall (Future Energy Solutions)

'South East - The Importance of Regional Information, Regional Strategy and the RSDF'  (PowerPoint 13.5MB) - David Payne (South East England Regional Assembly)

'SEE-Stats – More Than Just Numbers' (PowerPoint 27.2MB) - Keith Richards & Gabriel Berry (TV Energy)

View the full notes of the meeting, click here (Word 64KB)