The latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has recommended that no new fossil fuel boilers should be installed from 2025 if global net zero emission targets are to met by 2050.
The report contains 400 steps that create a transformation roadmap that poses serious policy and industry challenges. The roadmap advocates unproven and controversial methods such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage and increasing biofuel use by 60% – a controversial topic since Palm Oil production is a major source of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests.
It is broadly accepted that to meet net zero carbon targets the housing sector will have to be completely decarbonised. This will mean all new homes achieving net zero or low carbon status (SAP92/EPC A).
The UK government has already outlined its vision to increase the number of heat pumps installed from 30,000 per year to over 600,000. Hydrogen (which produces no carbon when burnt) will also start to be blended into the gas network since modern boilers can operate on a 80:20 mix of gas to hydrogen.
Some practical questions:
Questions remain about how and by when sufficient quantities of hydrogen can be generated. Hydrogen production can be developed along with offshore wind and tidal schemes but whilst offshore wind farm development is accelerating, the move to tidal is still someway behind despite ambitious plans such as the 2.5GW North Wales Tidal Energy Project.
There is much talk of green job growth but whilst there are grand political statements there is very little by way of stable long term funding to give the industry the much needed confidence to establish these jobs. Talk of installing 600,000 heat pumps makes little sense given the condition of the existing stock is amongst the worst in Europe.
And still the policy discussion doesn’t mention the fuel poor. Installing a heat pump in a low energy efficiency property with a low income household is likely to create fuel poverty. There has been a policy target of eradicating Fuel Poverty for over a decade yet still over 10% of UK households can be classified as either living in fuel poverty or severe fuel poverty.
Next steps:
Decarbonising our everyday lives requires major forward planning and investment in infrastructure and the energy supply networks. Change is welcome by the industry if the move is decisive, clear and with adequate support to retrain, recruit and act.
For the last decade there have been pockets of activity led by community groups and conscious businesses/individuals but this needs to be mainstreamed. There is too many examples of funding streams stopping and starting leading to a lack of continuity of expertise and skills.
With the COP26 later this year in Glasgow it will be interesting to see whether the UK or devolved governments go beyond soundbites and lay the necessary policy and funding frameworks for the the UK to start making meaningful progress towards net zero carbon by 2050 whilst ensuring the vulnerable and fuel poor are not forgotten.