A new survey has shows that individuals and businesses in the south west of England are taking significant steps to move away from using oil and gas for heating, by switching to burning wood from sustainable, local sources.

The annual Survey of Renewable Electricity and Heat Projects in South West England, carried out by south west sustainable energy agency Regen SW, shows that heat from renewable sources has risen by 36 per cent to 56 megawatts. Electricity from renewable sources has grown by just 2.89 megawatts to 155 megawatts — enough to power approximately all of the houses in Plymouth and Exeter combined.

The majority of the increase in renewable heat, which has increased ten-fold over the past four years, is due to new biomass boilers being fitted throughout the south west, according to Regen SW.

“We have seen a remarkable increase in the amount of heat being generated from renewable sources in the south west over the past 12 months, and this is set to increase even further over the next couple of years,” said Merlin Hyman, chief executive of Regen SW. “We expect at least a further 40 to 50 megawatts as a result of the South West Bioheat Programme.  This shows that we can make a rapid switch to renewable energy, as long as we have the right support.”

Hyman continued, “Despite these positive results though, we have a huge task ahead of us.  The UK’s EU targets show that by 2020 we must generate 15 per cent of our energy from renewable sources, and currently the south west is only managing about one per cent.  This task will require change on a much larger scale, and the low increase in renewable electricity shows that we have a long way to go.”

While those figures indicate the region faces a major challenge, they also present an opportunity, Hyman said.

“It’s encouraging that we have more than 150 megawatts of renewable electricity approved, waiting to be built, but we need much more,” he said. “It’s therefore essential that we, as a region, move more quickly when deciding upon and building major renewable electricity projects.”

One area where the region is seeing big increases is in smaller-scale installations of renewable energy, with 618 microgeneration projects (capacities of under 50 kilowatts) being recorded in the past 12 months.  That’s more than a 50 per cent increase on the previous year.

Cornwall remains the region’s best performing county, according to the latest survey, with over a third of the region’s total renewable heat and electricity capacity.

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