During the last few years, the Government has taken several steps to deliver on its international climate change commitments. In the year to 31 March, 2003, research and development grants totalling more than £50m were given to encourage low-carbon projects and a range of emerging renewable generation technologies. In the same period, capital grants of over £130m were awarded to support bioenergy, offshore wind and a major photo-voltaic demonstration programme. In addition, the Government has introduced a series of regulations designed to promote the generation and use of renewable energy. These include the Climate Change Levy – a business tax on all non-renewable energy use – and the Renewables Obligation, which forces electricity suppliers to source 10% of their supplies of electricity from renewable sources by 2010.
While the Government’s commitment to renewable energy is a relatively recent phenomenon, the southwest has long held a reputation for expertise and innovation in this specialist area that is disproportionate to its geographical location, population size or GDP. The region is home to many UK industry firsts and sector leaders: the first commercial wind farm in the UK was built at Delabole in Cornwall in 1991; in Devon, Holsworthy Biogas established the first large-scale anaerobic digester that generated power from slurry and food waste; Green Electron from SWEB, one of the first green electricity offerings, was launched in the southwest, a tradition continued by Unit(e) of Wiltshire; and, operating a pyrolysis plant in Avonmouth, Compact Power is a leader in generating fuel and power from biomass and waste. The southwest now has more than 90 sites that generate electricity from renewable sources, and one in four of the UK’s wood-heat installations are located here.
