Energy & Climate Change Select Committee member James Heappey has welcomed the Chancellor’s commitment to a smart energy system in today’s budget.
“Amidst all the angst over Hinkley and the other flagship generation schemes, the need to digitise our energy system is too often over-looked” said James Heappey. “Yet it is the opportunities that come from distributed energy generation, energy storage in the home or business, and software that is ensuring consumers are using energy at the optimum time depending on its cost that will make the biggest difference to our energy security, decarbonisation and the prices we pay.”
“This commitment to transform our electricity sector is most welcome and will save consumers up to £8 billion per year. The National Infrastructure Commission have made recommendations on how our energy system should be in the future and the Chancellor’s support for that vision will unlock so many of the things that have held back the further development of renewable energy schemes. I suspect the solar energy industry in particular will be delighted by today’s news.”
“The UK has so many companies who are developing potentially world-beating ideas for more efficient energy generation, storage, transmission or use. We are also at the forefront of thinking on the ‘Internet of Things’ and how that concept could revolutionise the way we use energy. The allocation of at least £50 million to fund that research is also very welcome.”
