State of the South West 2008

The South West has adopted a target of 15% or 597 megawatts of electricity to be produced by renewable sources by 2010.  The region has a very long way to go before this target will be met, however there has been positive growth in the renewable energy sector over the last 12 months.

The Regen SW 2007 survey of renewable energy projects in the South West identified 215 grid connected renewable electricity projects with an installed capacity of 137 MW, up some 14 MW since the last survey in March 2006.  The vast majority of this increase is due to changes in generator capacity at the region’s landfill gas sites, and the identification of two sewage gas sites in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Only approximately 300 kW of this increase is due to new  installed electricity capacity – other than landfill gas. The survey also identified 419 renewable heat projects with an installed capacity of 27.85 MW.

Renewable electricity schemes in the region are now producing enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 119,828 homes, avoiding the production of 423,031 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

Cornwall is the leading county for renewable electricity projects with approximately 53 MW installed (39% of the regional total), with Devon coming in second at 29 MW (21%). 

There are 31 landfill gas schemes making up 51.8% of total installed capacity, 16 sewage gas schemes making up 7.9%, 32 onshore wind projects, 31.3%; 47 small hydro schemes making up 6.2 %; 87 solar PV schemes making up 0.6% and 2 schemes dealing with advanced treatment of waste making up 2.1%.

More information about renewable energy is available from the South West Observatory Environment website and Regen SW.  There are also climate change indicators used to monitor progress of the Regional Environment Strategy.