Energy Policy Guide

Energy

Generation, Storage and Distribution, Smart Grids,

Smart Appliances, Efficiency

An array of Stirling engined concentrated solar power units in Spain

Energy covers the installation of domestic energy sources and storage, utilityscale installations such as windfarms and tidal lagoons, preparing for a future with electric vehicles, implementing the smart grid (including burying power lines to replace pylons) and using energy more efficiently. Councils are now permitted to be energy generators and providers, as well as having control over local plans to permit or restrict fossil fuel exploration.

LibDem Policy Papers:

PP22 Conserving Tomorrow, Energy Policy For The Future, published in 1996
6.1.1:
Support for renewable sources of energy plays a key part in Liberal Democrat energy policy. Some of the longerestablished renewables, including onshore wind turbines and landfill , are becoming increasingly competitive with fossil fuel sources. Introduction of the carbon tax, which will not affect the cost of renewables (see 4.1.4), will help even more.

6.3.5 The privatised part of the nuclear industry should compete on equal grounds with the rest of the electricity supply industry; we will therefore end all subsidies.
PP32 Housing Policy into The 21st Century, published in 1999
5.2.3:
We propose a major initiative to upgrade the quality of new homes to bring them up to the best environmental and efficiency standards.
PP52
Rural Futures, published in 2002.
4.11.1:
Liberal Democrats believe that our farmers and rural communities have a crucial role to in the creation of a renewable energy economy in the UK, as a mosaic of
biomass, biofuels, solar, hydro, wind, hydrogen and other technologies, to allow flexibility and robustness.
PP58
Conserving the Future, proposals on energy policy, published in 2003.
5.1.9
includes: Encouraging, where appropriate, renewables schemes in which the local community has a share in the ownership and profits or benefits from reduced energy prices, for ample through partownership by a community trust.
PP69
Affordable Homes in Safer, Greener Communities, Housing Policy Paper, published in 2004.
4.1.7
includes:
Enable every home, where practical, to generate its own power, by removing all barriers
to technologies such as micro combined heat and power units, solar power and
micro wind turbines, and requiring all new and replacement electricity meters to
operate two ways, so homes could sell power back to the grid;
PP109
Green Growth and Green Jobs, Transition to a Zero Carbon Britain (pub 2013)
This paper covers the entire strategy for decarbonising the energy sector.
PP114
A Stronger Economy In A Fairer Society (pub 2013)
We need to stick to ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and
adopt a binding target for the decarbonisation of our electricity sector

Challenge Magazines:

2008 Spring
p8 Towards Greener Living

2008 Summer
p18 The Great Energy Betrayal

2008 Autumn
p15 Tidal Barrages: The Debate Hots Up

2008 Winter
p7 Boring is Better than Eco Bling!

2009 Spring
p9 Small is Still Beautiful

2009 Spring
p13 Can We Mobilise A Carbon Army?

2009 Summer
p17 Failing The Energy Conservation Test

2009 Autumn
p13 Household Carbon Trading

2010 Summer
p10 Europe's Energy Revolution
2010 Summer
p15 People Power

2011 Spring
p6 Micro Hydropower in Rural Africa

2011 Spring
p10 The Grid Gets A Brain

2011 Summer
p6 Collapse of the Old Oil Order
2011 Summer
p22 Nuclear pros and cons

2012 Summer
p12 Councils & the Green Deal

2012 Autumn
p5 Getting to the Front
p14 Decarbonising Transport

2013 Spring
p17 Managing Intermittency
p21 Give us Green Gas

2013 Summer
p8 Fusion Future
p21 No to Nuclear

2013 Winter
p22 Community Energy

2014 Spring
p14 Jumping Together