Renewable energy
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on renewable energy. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 02.07.2013 | Planning for onshore wind farms |
| This note sets out issues to do with the planning process for onshore wind and proposals for reform. It applies to England only. | |
| 18.03.2013 | Biomass |
| This note summarises policy on biomass generation | |
| 08.02.2013 | Carbon Price Floor |
| This note summarises the Governmnent plans to introduce a carbon price floor by April 2013 | |
| 03.01.2013 | Green Investment Bank |
| The Government has announced the creation of a Green Investment Bank to stimulate investment in green technologie. This note includes details of its role and its location. | |
| 10.10.2012 | Energy Use: Social Indicators page |
| Trends in sources of UK energy and generation |
Research Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 12.03.2013 | Energy Bill: Committee Stage Report |
| This paper complements Library Research Paper 12/79 on the Energy Bill 2012-13. It covers the Bill's Second Reading and Committee Stages. The Bill seeks to implement electricity market reform and introduces 'contracts for difference' to support all forms of low carbon generation, including nuclear. Government amendments made during Committee Stage related to cheaper energy tariffs and setting a decarbonisation target. | |
| 13.12.2012 | Energy Bill |
| The Energy Bill [Bill 100 of 2012-13] seeks to implement 'electricity market reform' and through this achieve 'secure, clean and affordable' electricity supplies. The Bill was introduced to the Commons on 29 November 2012 and will have its Second Reading debate on 19 December 2012. A draft Bill was subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. | |
| 30.06.2009 | Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill: Committee Stage Report |
| Report of the Commons Committee Stage of the Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill. This is a Private Member's Bill, introduced by Peter Ainsworth, which seeks to define and promote "green energy". | |
| 12.05.2009 | Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Bill (Bill 15 of 2008-09) |
| The Bill seeks to define and promote 'green energy'. It aims to facilitate the development of green energy by: requiring a review and revision of the Government's Microgeneration Strategy including feed-in tariffs; changing permitted development rights in planning law; and ensuring that green energy installations do not result in higher council tax or rates bills. | |
| 22.10.2008 | Climate Change Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report |
| Climate Change Bill. (Bill 129 of 2007/08) House of Commons Library Research Paper 08/79. |
Select Committee Reports
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 21.06.2011 | Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee. |
| Merits of Statutory Instruments Select Committee (HL) report [Lords] | |
| 23.11.2010 | Funding the development of the renewable energy technologies. |
| Public Accounts Committee report [Commons] | |
| 07.07.2009 | The EU's renewable energy target and the revision of the emissions trading system: Follow-up report. |
| European Union Select Committee (HL) report [Lords] | |
| 12.02.2009 | Government response to the report on The Economics of Renewable Energy. |
| Government response. Economic Affairs Select Committee (HL) report [Lords] |
Early Day Motions
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 23.11.2011 | CONDUCT OF HRH DUKE OF EDINBURGH |
| That this House regrets the comments of HRH Duke of Edinburgh on wind farms; and believes that such comments reinforce the wisdom of the convention that members of the Royal Family ... | |
| 22.11.2011 | RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR SOCIAL HOUSING |
| That this House is concerned that social housing tenants are being denied savings of up to 180 per year on their energy bills as well as subsidised energy efficiency measures because ... | |
| 14.11.2011 | BIOMASS AND BIOLIQUIDS FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION |
| That this House is concerned that increased use of biomass and bioliquids for electricity generation is likely to have substantial negative impacts on global hunger, biodiversity and ... | |
| 10.11.2011 | SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC FEED-IN TARIFFS |
| That this House recalls the previous administration's decision to introduce a national solar photovoltaic feed-in tariff scheme throughout the UK to encourage users to switch to green ... | |
| 03.11.2011 | SOLAR INDUSTRY |
| That this House condemns the UK Government's proposed cuts to feed-in tariffs for solar panels; believes that these cuts will be a body blow to a sector in which many businesses have ... |
Lords Library Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 13.06.2013 | Energy Bill (HL Bill 30 of 2013-14) |
| The Energy Bill is intended to establish a framework for delivering secure, affordable and low-carbon energy. This Library Note provides background information for the second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords on 18 June 2013. | |
| 08.01.2010 | Debate on 14th January: The Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change. LLN 2010/001 |
| Debate on 14th January: The Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change. This Library Note aims to provide background reading for the debate to be held on Thursday 14th January: 'To call attention to the outcome of the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change' The UN Conference on Climate Change took place in Copenhagen from 7th-19th December 2009. This Note explains the significance of the Conference in the context of previous international agreements on climate change, sets out the major disagreements that marred the negotiating process in Copenhagen and summarises the key elements contained in the final Copenhagen Accord. It considers analysis of the Accord's achievements and shortcomings, and summarises the reactions of key nations and interest groups. |
POST Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 23.01.2012 | Measuring Energy Security |
| This POSTnote explores ways in which energy security may be measured for monitoring purposes. | |
| 15.09.2011 | Anaerobic digestion |
| This POSTnote examines the potential for anaerobic digestion in the UK and the main challenges connected with its development. | |
| 01.07.2011 | Biofuels from algae, July 2011 |
| This POSTnote examines the technical, economic and environmental issues around algal biofuels and their relevance to UK and EU policy targets. | |
| 01.05.2011 | Natural capital accounting, May 2011 |
| This POSTnote outlines the need for "environmental accounting" by governments, to maintain the capacity of ecosystems to sustain human well-being at acceptable levels. | |
| 01.05.2011 | The ecosystem approach, May 2011 |
| This POSTnote outlines how the ecostystem approach makes explicit the link between the status of natural resource systems and ecosystem services that support human well-being. | |
| 01.01.2011 | Living with environmental limits, January 2011 |
| This POSTnote summarises a longer POST report on environ-mental limits, which sets out the challenges to achieving this aim, whilst considering the complex trade-offs between social, economic and environ-mental objectives. O |
