Cambridgeshire needs to start planning how it can secure its energy supplies, take advantage of the opportunities that the emerging green economy presents and how it will meet challenging Central Government carbon reduction targets.
An important part of meeting these challenges will be decarbonising our energy supplies by moving away from fossil fuels toward clean energy.
The CRIF will identify opportunities for clean energy production in our area and look at how the commercial sector, the public sector and communities can deliver these schemes.
Economic Benefits – The East of England remains the leading region for the generation of renewable energy. As the demand for energy grows, there is opportunity for Cambridgeshire to build on its already thriving Clean-Tech sector. It can;
- provide leadership for investment in a key economic opportunity over the next decade,
- create jobs for local communities and
- opportunities for local businesses.
The CRIF will help develop capacity and innovation in the Clean-Tech Sector in Cambridgeshire and will
- Help boost Research and Development.
- Inform Economic Development Strategies.
- Identify and coordinate opportunities for renewable energy investment and delivery.
- Make investment easier for a broad range of stakeholders including public sector, energy industry, institutional investors and the community.
Energy Security – Besides the UK, many countries are concerned about securing their energy supplies. This is because of limited supplies, uneven distribution, and rising costs of fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, which has created a need to change to more sustainable energy sources in the foreseeable future.
By locating renewable energy production within Cambridgeshire we would become less reliant on imported energy supplies and the increasing costs of fossil fuels.. The CRIF will start this transition process.
Central Government Targets– The Climate Change Act 2008 set legally binding emission reduction targets;
- 2020 (reduction of 34 percent in greenhouse gas emissions)
- 2050 (reduction of at least 80 percent in greenhouse gas emissions)
It also introduced five-yearly carbon budgets to help ensure those targets are met.
TheUKis to now put in place the most ambitious targets on greenhouse gases of any developed country;
- Halving carbon dioxide emissions by 2025.
- 60% cuts by 2030.
