Cumbrian Energy Revolution

Towards a Sustainable Cumbria

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Renewables General

Cumbria Vision, the precursor body to Britain’s Energy Coast, published a report in 2009 called “The Scope for Renewable Energy in Cumbria”. This envisioned the creation of up to 5,000 jobs by 2020 and almost 8,000 by 2050 from developing renewable energy .

The report highlighted the fact that Cumbria is a national centre of expertise in small-scale hydro-power and has local enterprises able to build and maintain small-scale wind energy installations, solar systems and heat pumps. The county also has major potential for anaerobic digestion of farm and food wastes and for wood-burning boilers, supplied by the large tracts of woodland that are currently scarcely managed or not managed at all. The Study concludes that by 2020 the county could be producing enough renewable energy to match the demand of its population. By 2050 it should be a significant exporter of renewable energy. And this can be achieved without damaging Cumbria’s magnificent landscapes or harming its important tourist industry.

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This was followed in August 2011 by a report by sustainable economic and social development consultants, SQW,  for Cumbrian local authorities called “Cumbria Renewable Energy and Capacity Deployment Study” . This study involved a detailed assessment of the resources available for generating renewable energy by 2030.

The SQW assessment shows a total potential onshore resource of 4,542MW by 2030, (See Table 2) of which commercial onshore wind provides the largest proportion at 62% followed by microgeneration at 30% (which in this case means solar photovoltaics, solar water heating and ground, air and water-source heat pumps.) SQW then goes on to look at the realistically deployable capacity by 2030. Firstly it uses a reduced ceiling of 1,623MW for commercial onshore wind to take into account the landscape’s capacity. Taking this and other constraints into account SQW concludes that Cumbria has a deployable onshore renewable energy resource of 606MW by 2030 – which is comparable with the sort of numbers given in the Cumbria Vision report for onshore renewables in 2050. This capacity has the potential to generate around 1,861GWh of energy compared with an estimated energy demand of 18,000GWh in 2007 and between 14,000 and 18,000GWh in 2030.

Table 1. “The Scope for Renewable Energy” Cumbria Vision 2009
2010 2020 2050
MW Jobs MW Jobs MW Jobs
Onshore Wind  115  57  250  112  400  80
Offshore Wind  240  96  2000  720  2400 – 3500  384 – 560
Hydro  3  150  6  270  10  200
Tidal  0  0  150  135  250 – 300  100 – 120
Wave  0  0  0 – 25  0 – 2  0 – 500  0 – 20
Solar (PV and thermal)  <1  25  20  594  40 – 100  528 – 1320
Geothermal (includes GSHP & ASHP)  0.5  200  5  1800  50 – 520  2000 – 4160
Landfill / Sewage  10  190  25  427  25  190
Farm Wastes  2  42  20  378  50  420
Wood  10  200  10 – 40  180 – 720  20 – 60  160 – 480
Totals 381.5 960 2486 – 2541 4616 – 5158 3245 – 5465 4262 – 7550
Table 2: Potential Technical Renewable Energy Resource Capacity in Cumbria by 2030 (SQW Report)
Technology Group MW
Onshore Wind 2885.6
Biomass 212
Hydro 69.7
Microgeneration 1374.7
Totals 4542

SQW also concludes that Cumbria will need to significantly increase its currently level of renewable deployment (295MW) if it is to reach 606MW by 2030. It says microgeneration represents an exciting opportunity in terms of jobs and economic development; and continued deployment of commercial wind is likely to be required.

This website aims to develop a new sustainable energy plan for Cumbria drawing not only on some of this earlier work done by Cumbria Vision, and SQW, but also lots of other sources. It casts the net more widely than just energy, to set out not just a list of alternative options to a nuclear future for Cumbria, but a better alternative – one that doesn’t involve producing yet more nuclear waste, which after sixty years of nuclear development the industry still doesn’t know what to do with. It is an alternative future which is better at tackling climate change; better at creating jobs and better at tackling fuel poverty.

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Renewables News

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  • Potential for Green Jobs in Cumbria

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  • Nottingham’s Net Zero Ambition

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  • Net Zero Bristol by 2030

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Renewables Information

Cumbria Renewable Energy and Capacity Deployment Study A report by sustainable economic and social development consultants, SQW for Cumbria County Council published in August 2011 giving a detailed assessment of the renewable resources available.

The Scope for Renewable Energy in Cumbria is a report published by the precursor body to Britain’s Energy Coast - Cumbria Vision in 2009. This envisioned the creation of almost 8,000 by 2050 from developing renewable energy.

A WWF report – Positive Energy: How renewable electricity can transform the UK by 2030, October 2011. Shows that renewable sources could meet 60% or more of the UK’s electricity demand by 2030.

A Plan for Clean British Energy: Powering the UK with renewables and without nuclear. Friends of the Earth September 2012.

Energy Scenarios 2020-2030: Alternatives to the UK Government’s gas / nuclear /renewable scenarios - a look at the potential of non-wind renewables coming to the fore. Nuclear Free Local Authorities Briefing 12th Feb 2013.

Zero Carbon Britain: Rethinking the Future, Centre for Alternative Technology, 2013. Presents new research in two key areas 'keeping the lights on' with a variable renewable energy supply, and 'feeding ourselves properly' on a low carbon diet.

More reports on the feasibility and costs of decarbonising the UK, Europe and the world—and the costs of not taking action – can be found on the from Greenhouse to Green House website

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