Education and Innovation: Renewable Energy in the East of England

Written by David Howarth MP and published in Regional Monitor June 2007 on Mon 2nd Jul 2007

The East of England contains some of the UK's lowest lying land; for East Anglians the projections of rising sea levels make terrifying reading. So here in the east we have an great deal to lose if climate change continues unchecked. But we also have much to gain from the switch to a low carbon economy. The 'environment economy' in the East of England already supports 180,000 people. From Cambridge's hi tech sector leading the way in producing innovative new technologies to the shallow waters and high winds of one of Britain's first major offshore wind farms at Scroby Sands, the East of England is perfectly placed to capitalise on the renewable energy boom.

With three out of the four Government growth areas in the East, up to 500,000 new homes are due to be built across the region by 2021. This presents us with both challenges and opportunities. The challenge is of course to make sure that the new communities are sustainable both in terms of the communities they create and in terms of their global effects. But it is also an opportunity. We have a chance to build cutting edge zero carbon developments that can display the best the region's knowledge economy. In my own constituency, the SmartLIFE Centre is training young people in sustainable construction techniques while local firm Sentec designs smart meters that link energy saving and microgeneration in the homes they build.

Knowledge and learning is the key to the region's success in the renewable energy sector. Ideas coming out of Cambridge fuel economic growth not just regionally but nationally and internationally.

Just last year the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research, based in the Land Economy Department of Cambridge University, established a major cross-disciplinary research centre bringing together scientists and economists from across the world, and the Cambridge Environment Initiative brings together nearly 90 different University of Cambridge environmental research groups, including projects on the future of energy that integrate economics, environmental science and engineering. In Norwich, UEA's Zuckermann Institute for Connective Environmental Research houses the world famous Tyndall Centre as well as providing a forum to link research with local and international business, local authorities and others with a role in play in developing and using renewable technology. The region is already developing a skilled workforce for the renewable sector and Lowestoft College has now established the first Centre of Vocational Excellence for Offshore Technology in the country.

By 2015, according to Government targets, 15% of the UK's electricity supply should come from renewable sources. Wind energy, both on-shore and off-shore, will be an important part of meeting that target. It is has been estimated that over the next few years wind energy alone will create 3000 to 4000 jobs in the region.

But there is more to renewable energy than simply wind power. Electricity and heat from biomass can be generated close to production, cutting down on transport waste. The region already boasts two chicken litter power plants, in Eye and Thetford, as well as the world's largest straw burning power station in Ely. Wave and tidal power also have potential to contribute to a low carbon energy mix and when they do the East of England should be poised to take the lead in an emerging new technology.