A strategic decision on the decarbonisation of heat in buildings must be made ‘as quickly as possible’ as part of a ‘radical shift’ to decarbonise the UK’s power system, a heavyweight new report has urged.
Compiled by an independent working group led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Rapid Decarbonisation of the GB Electricity System study says the UK must put the power system’s decarbonisation on a par with the 2021 Covid-19 vaccine rollout as a national mission.
The report’s working group, which includes recently appointed Science Minister Lord Vallance, says the new government’s mission to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels from the electricity grid from 2035 to 2030 ‘cannot be met simply by accelerating along the path we are currently on, but will require a radical shift of approach. A plan is needed quickly, prioritising pace over perfection’.
The report says that strategic decisions on the decarbonisation of buildings’ heat should be made ‘as quickly as possible’ to provide clarity on the UK’s ambition for heat pumps and the long-term capacity required by the distribution network.
It states this will allow the distribution network to be future-proofed when planning connections for housing developments to cater for future installations of heat pumps.
The report advocates a much more ‘proactive’ approach to procuring grid infrastructure.
It states: ‘The existing approach, which relies on competition to drive down prices, is no longer fit for purpose as the pace and scale of change increase radically and as we enter a more competitive world.‘
