Energy

This sets out the major role that energy has to play in meeting the challenge of climate change, and sets four goals to be delivered by 2050:

•  A 60% reduction in our carbon dioxide emissions – with a major role for energy efficiency and renewables
•  Reliable energy supplies- which means delivering diverse and secure forms of energy
•  An updated energy infrastructure and supply that takes advantage of the global economic opportunities arising from such development 
• Ensuring that every home is adequately and affordably heated – getting all vulnerable households out of fuel poverty by 2018.

As a major energy generator and a major energy exporter to the rest of the country, this region is ideally placed to lead the field in developing a sustainable energy economy including both new clean coal, renewable and biomass sources.

Yorkshire Regional Energy Forum (REF)
Is an  important regional mechanism for helping to deliver these goals, in which GOYH is a key regional partner and leader.

The REF seeks to ensure that a strategic and integrated approach to energy is adopted and implemented within the region

As part of its work the REF has commissioned a series of regional energy papers and reports, with funding support from BERR, GOYH, Yorkshire Forward and YHA.

Regional Energy Infrastructure Strategy                                                                                                              The REF published the Regional Energy Infrastructure Strategy in February 2007. It sets out what the region needs to do on energy generation and supply to achieve regional energy targets and maintain affordable energy supplies.

DTI funding support programme
GOYH has also managed a DTI-funded programme for supporting regional energy strategy delivery. This has looked to mainstream energy issues into other key regional agendas, promote education and training on energy issues and support the promotion and facilitation of renewable energy. In association with other key partners this matched-funding programme has funded a wide range of events, activities and projects including:

REF commissioned energy papers and projects
Renewable energy assessment studies
Regional energy awareness training and education,
Training tools and toolkits
Good practice guides and advice
Pilot programmes to carry forward or embed sustainable energy or renewable energy initiatives.
Literature and information to support sustainable energy - such as “wood fuel heating for public buildings”.

Yorkshire Forward and Future Energy Yorkshire
Yorkshire Forward has made a major commitment to support that move to a sustainable energy and low carbon economy within the region by 2020, and has set up Future Energy Yorkshire specifically targeted at securing the economic opportunities arising from new and renewable energy technologies and projects across the Yorkshire and Humber region and to deliver greenhouse gas emissions reductions to meet regional targets.

Regional Energy Targets
The region has set itself a series of major energy targets in line with the policies of the EWP.
The Regional Economic Strategy sets the region on the path to a low carbon economy with exceptionally challenging targets of at least a 20% reduction in green house gas emissions in the region by 2010 as a first step to 60% reductions by 2050.
The Regional Spatial Strategy fully supports that drive to a low carbon economy and the delivery of EWP energy targets including the generation of 674 MW of renewable energy within the region by 2010 and some 1850 MW of renewable energy by 2021.

UK Climate Change Programme Review
National and regional progress against the EWP objectives is published in a series of annual reports by the DTI/BERR.  However the government is also looking at how we are doing against our wider climate change challenges and objectives through the Climate Change Programme Review. A key part of this will be what more we need to do in the energy area if we are to meet those national goals and objectives.