Prospects for renewable energy and green energy markets in the UK

The UK's renewable energy programme has been underway for more than 20 years. It was launched following the oil crisis in 1973/74. The intervening years have seen renewables grow from being of marginal importance to becoming a major energy option around the world, and in the UK the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in 1990 gave renewables a boost. 1998 sees the completion of the privatisation process, with the electricity market being fully liberalised. With concerns about climate change growing it could be that renewable energy will begin to play a major role, This paper attempts to assess the post-privatisation prospects for renewables in the UK, looking in particular at the idea of creating a local market for green electricity, with consumers providing the driving force for growth in the use of renewables. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.