INDUSTRY FOCUS by
LORD RUPERT REDESDALE
Chief Executive at The Energy Managers Association
Can and Should the UK Abandon Gas? In 2017, the total UK gas consumption was a staggering 74.3 billion cubic meters. The Government’s current policy position is to phase out gas as part of a transition to a fossil fuel free low carbon economy in the UK. Great strides have been made in renewable generation from wind and solar but the focus on renewable generation of electricity hides a fundamental problem. How will we generate heat without gas? At present, the UK is reliant on gas for power generation, on most days gas generates as much as 50% of the UK’s electricity, but more importantly it is almost totally dependent on gas for heat. To put this in context, between 2015 and 2018 domestic demand for gas peaked in winter at around 250Twh. Gas used for electricity generation in the same period peaked at around 80Twh. These figures show the mountain that must be climbed if gas is to be phased out as three times as much gas is used for heat than to generate electricity; however, this major use of gas often seems to be ignored in the energy debate.
THE EMA MAGAZINE • ISSUE MAY—JUNE 2019
The Government’s solution to replacing gas in domestic and commercial heating is mainly based around the use of heat pumps. Air Source or Ground Source heat pumps
34
are mature technologies, and their efficiency is improving, but there are some major impediments to their universal roll out. A significant number of properties will not be able to install Ground Source heat pumps, such as flats or for those without reasonably sized gardens. Air Source heat pumps have their own requirements that make them more flexible but are also impractical in many locations. As a technology, heat pumps should be championed, but the question is whether this is a feasible policy objective to replace gas. The reliance on heat pumps in future policy is an indication of the lack of alternatives to gas. The only other alternatives are biomass and anaerobic digestion (AD). Biomass is a versatile fuel source and was supported by the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which was introduced by the Government in 2009 to promote the use of renewable biomass. Whilst the scheme promoted uptake in biomass, the subsidy has since been discontinued by the present Government. At the largest end of the biomass scale is Drax, Europe’s biggest biomass-fuelled power station. However, whilst Drax is pioneering Carbon Capture and Storage, using wood has its own problems in policy terms. Burning biomass has higher carbon emissions than gas, and often
