Scottish Renewables Low Carbon Heat Conference Set For Perth
Scotland must kick its addiction to conventional gas-fired boilers (and presumably LPG and heating oil fired boilers too) and embrace renewable heat ,if it is to hit challenging 2020 targets, a major conference will hear next month.
Scottish Renewables’ first Low Carbon Heat Conference will be held in Perth next Tuesday – 28th. April 2015. Progress in kicking the gas (and fossil fuel) heating habit in Scotland has so far been slow. Just 3% of heat comes from renewable sources against a target of 11% – which must be achieved in just over 2,000 days.
If Scottish Renewables’ calculations are correct, millions of homeowners throughout Scotland could be facing the prospect of replacing perfectly serviceable boilers, to meet 2020 ‘climate change’ targets.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Stephanie Clark, the organisation’s Policy Manager explains how a major change of mindset is needed to hit the target. Ms. Clark says, “More than half of the energy consumed in Scotland is in the form of heat. As a society, we take warm homes and workplaces and constant hot water for granted, but the time is now right for us to re-think our relationship with heat and the way it is generated, transported and used.
“We have a chance of reaching what is a very ambitious 2020 target, but we have to act now. If we can do it, consumers and businesses will be insulated from the price fluctuations and uncertainty of supply associated with gas.”
Scotland’s commitment to heat will be one of the key topics on the table. Indeed, the opening session poses the question, ‘Is Scotland serious about Heat?’.
Miss Clark says, “Most of our homes, businesses and public buildings are warmed by conventional gas boilers, and we must kick that addiction. District heating, for example, is a great way for hundreds of homes to share one heat source, but we have yet to see a consensus on its importance in Scotland.”
The conference will examine how European lessons can help effect change in Scotland. There will also be a session on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), the subsidy mechanism which supports the introduction of renewables, and an analysis of how the scheme is performing and whether it provides sufficient incentives to increase uptake and develop the supply chain. Kate Read, Policy Manager at energy regulator Ofgem, will speak during this session.
Delegates will also hear from Scottish Renewables Board Member Stuart Reid, who works for Fort William biomass heating business HWEnergy, as well as Scottish Renewables’ Director of Policy, Jenny Hogan. The day will end with an Innovation Showcase, where Star Renewable Energy Director and heat pump expert Dave Pearson will guide delegates through a mix of technologies needed to meet Scotland’s renewable heat target. Cate Lyon, Analyst at Delta-ee will also talk specifically about the role of micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) in Scotland.
To find out more or to register for the Conference, visit the Scottish Renewables website.
