This book offers a detailed account of how renewable energy has moved
from the margins to the mainstream in the UK, and of the battles that
have been fought to achieve this, trawling through the often troubled
history of government involvement.
The book examines how renewables became what now seem likely to be the
dominant energy sources of the future. Renewable energy technologies,
using solar and wind power and other natural energy sources, are now
supplying around 30% of UK electricity and appear set to continue
expanding to supply around 50% within the next decade. Although the
emphasis of the book is on the UK, developments there are compared with
those in other countries to provide an overall assessment of the
relevance of the UK experience.
Chapters explore why the UK still lags behind many other countries in
deploying renewables, in part, it is argued, due to its continued
reliance on nuclear power. The book ends with a discussion on what sort
of changes may be expected over the coming years. The author does not
assume a single answer, but invites readers to consider the
possibilities.