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The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) has published its green recovery roadmap which could create 200,000 new jobs over the next 15 years.
The trade body’s ‘Strategy for Renewable Energy and Clean Technologies’ lays a green pathway to help accelerate the net zero emissions target and support the UK’s economic recovery.
The strategy has set a target for renewable energy to provide more than half of the UK’s electricity generation by the end of next year, with the aim of reaching 100 percent by 2032.
The roadmap also aims for most of the energy demand for the heat and transport sectors to come from renewable and clean technologies by 2035. Plans are also in place for bio-waste to be either separated and recycled at source or collected separately by the end of 2023.
The REA has said the government needs to provide the right support to meet the targets in the roadmap. It has called for the removal of various barriers and emphasizes that a clear route to market i required, plus a variety of technologies and a fit for purpose grid network, in order for the green industry to thrive.
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said: “The UK’s energy system is in the midst of the largest transformation for generations, moving towards the legally-binding 2050 net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The change required over the next three decades is on a par to that experienced during the industrial revolution; affecting people’s homes, businesses and the very fabric of the nation.
“With COP26 on the horizon, the government has an opportunity to make a bold statement – this strategy not only sets out several necessary and achievable targets, but it also provides the solutions to removing the barriers which could prevent those targets being met.
“It is now abundantly clear that the argument of an ‘either/or’ choice between tackling climate change and providing an economic boost is over. Support for the renewable energy and clean technology sector will not only help the government reach its net zero ambitions, but it could deliver hundreds of thousands of new jobs and return billions of pounds worth of investment too.
“Our strategy offers government the pathway to net zero and economic recovery – it is now up to them to deliver it.”
