UK not prepared for growth in EV use, think tank warns

A new report by independent think tank the Green Alliance claims that the UK government will have problems if energy systems are not improved to take account of developments in solar panels, onshore wind, electric vehicles (EVs) and battery storage. It says people are increasingly choosing to be energy owners and are able to take back at least some control over energy production. The report states, “Politicians are arguing over whether or not to subsidise renewables without seeing how technology has changed
April 25, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A new report by independent think tank the Green Alliance claims that the UK government will have problems if energy systems are not improved to take account of developments in solar panels, onshore wind, electric vehicles (EVs) and battery storage. It says people are increasingly choosing to be energy owners and are able to take back at least some control over energy production.


The report states, “Politicians are arguing over whether or not to subsidise renewables without seeing how technology has changed the big picture. They believe that they hold the purse strings. But, within the next five years, the government will lose the ability to constrain small scale energy technologies by limiting subsidy because none will be needed. We are entering a new era where the consumer really can take control.”

Green Alliance warns that one per cent of the UK could see drops in voltage if battery powered cars are clustered together, while as few as six electric vehicles located near one another could have the same effect.

It is calling on the government to give consumers real choice over energy generation and consumption it must actively direct the transition to a smarter system.

Related Content

  • Counting the environmental costs of ITS deployment
    October 29, 2015
    David Crawford looks at the latest thinking about calculating the benefits associated with the environmental side of ITS schemes. The penny is dropping that some environmental costs “are being shifted outside the traditional bounds of evaluation methods” for ITS-based road transport projects, according to researchers at the UK University of Leeds’ Institute for Transport Studies.
    Read More
  • Promoting understanding of the need for enforcement
    March 15, 2012
    Changing needs of mature and emerging economies are demanding more rigorous enforcement services. Gatso’s managing director Timo Gatsonides spells out the challenge to Jason Barnes. As geographical markets mature and saturate, it might seem that the only thing for suppliers to do is to look further afield in search of new opportunities. The automated enforcement market in north western Europe could be a case in point, but Gatso’s managing director Timo Gatsonides begs to differ. The sheer number of new syst
    Read More
  • Gridserve unveils 'mass charging' EV forecourt
    December 11, 2020
    Company says it can charge 36 EVs at once, adding 200 miles of range in 20 minutes
    Read More
  • Wireless - the future of vehicle detection
    July 23, 2012
    Peter Cattell of Clearview Traffic analyses different wireless communications methods and explains how these are changing the face of vehicle detection. With the continued expansion of traffic data collection solutions, providing a robust, reliable, scalable and secure method of collecting information becomes increasingly important. Over many years, various mobile wireless technologies have been utilised to make the remote collection of data a reality but recent developments are changing the way that this w
    Read More

Highlighted Content