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THE FUTURE OF ENERGY IN BRITAIN – MEET TARGETS BY 2050

Sally Hill | 30.07.10

Launched by the DECC, the 2050 Pathways Analysis report illustrates six possible energy mixes to achieve secure and affordable energy supplies in the UK while still hitting the 2050 target of reducing emissions by 80 per cent on 1990 levels.

It is the government’s first comprehensive, long-term look at the UK’s energy supply and demand sectors and greenhouse gas emissions to 2050. The report tries to illustrate some of the energy choices and trade-offs to be made over the next 40 years.

2050 Pathways Calculator Tool

This is an online tool that allows users to explore different combinations of levels of change across the energy sectors to create pathways which successfully achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while ensuring that energy supply meets demand.

The Calculator was created under the supervision / direction of David Mackay, chief scientific adviser at DECC. A description, in the words of Adam Vaughan:

"You get to play with two sets of sliders. One set affects energy consumption such as temperature within buildings, number of electric cars and so on. The other controls energy generation - you can choose how many wind turbines you want, go for nuclear, invest in bio-energy and ramp up solar. In other words, it's rather like the Guardian's very own "national carbon calculator", which we launched in April."