By John Parnell
Scottish Power has invested in the Pelamis wave power generator. (Source: Scottish Power)
The EU Parliament’s decision to establish renewable energy targets for 2030 has been welcomed by UK utility giant Scottish Power.
The existing target of 20% by 2020 will be replaced with a longer term aim.
The size of the goal has not yet been confirmed.
“One of the problems for us is the focus on 2020 targets,” said Alan Mortimer, head of innovation at Scottish Power Renewables.
“The big growth in wave and tidal energy for example be beyond 2020. A 2030 target puts these technologies squarely on the map in terms of generating significant amounts of power.
“That will help to maintain support for what we need to do now to ensure we get there,” he added.
Huge potential
Scottish Power has invested £10m in marine energy as it looks to expand its own energy mix.
“It’s all about the potential and the potential is huge,” said Mortimer. “Marine energy in the UK could match onshore wind generation. But to get to that stage, we need to develop the technologies, which is why we are working very hard with [the manufacturers] to do that.”
The UK has a target of 300MW of marine energy by 2020 but there is currently less than 8MW on line.
“The amount of generation might seem small but a lot is being achieved now, that is pivotal for the future,” said Mortimer.
Alan Mortimer, Head of Innovation, Scottish Power Renewables from Responding to Climate Change on Vimeo.