The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF), founded in 2004 by UK TV personality
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presente ...
, is a United Kingdom-based registered charity with a stated aim of promoting the development of
sustainable energy
Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...
technologies. Their funders include
Barclays Capital
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
and
Calor Gas
Calor is a brand of bottled butane and propane which is available in Britain and Ireland. It comes in cylinders, which have a special gas regulator.
The company was formed in 1935, and is one of the UK's largest suppliers of liquefied petrol ...
.
[
REF believes that the issues of climate change and energy supply are complex and closely intertwined. REF's primary activity is commissioning and writing reports to provide information on energy issues. The REF has frequently argued against wind farm expansion, and the organization has frequently been accused of in fact being anti-wind, rather than pro-renewable energy.
Since 2006, REF has published a comprehensive set of statistics, describing in detail the performance of renewable energy generators in the UK that are registered under the ]Renewables Obligation
The Renewables Obligation (RO) is designed to encourage generation of electricity from eligible renewable sources in the United Kingdom. It was introduced in England and Wales and in a different form (the Renewables Obligation (Scotland)) in Scot ...
. On 2 February 2011, REF released a report critical of wind power, saying it would lead to higher prices for consumers.
REF also publishes constraint payments made by the National Grid Electricity System Operator to wind farms to reduce output. These payments are made when excess electricity is being generated in a particular region and a grid bottleneck prevents that electricity being exported to a region where the electricity could be used. Wind farm constraint payments reached a record £125 million in 2018, with Scottish wind farms receiving £115 million of this total.
Criticisms
There have been critics of REF's agenda, in particular Juliet Davenport
Juliet Davenport OBE (born 1968) is a British businesswoman. She founded and is the former chief executive of Good Energy, a renewable energy company in the United Kingdom.
Origins and education
Davenport was born in Haslemere, Surrey, in 1968 ...
, chief executive of green energy provider Good Energy
Good Energy Group PLC is a British energy company based in Chippenham, Wiltshire that provides services in the electrification of transport and decentralised renewable energy generation such as domestic solar panels. The company is also an energy ...
, and Dale Vince
Dale Vince (born 29 August 1961) is a British "green energy" business magnate, industrialist. A former New Age traveller, he is the owner of the electricity company Ecotricity.
Early life and career
Vince was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. ...
, founder of Ecotricity
Ecotricity is a British energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, specialising in selling green energy to consumers that it primarily generates from its 87.2 megawatt wind power portfoliothe company prefers the term windmill ra ...
, who both accuse the organisation of using a deliberately "misleading" name. Vince says "They are not a Foundation for Renewable Energy, as their name says and as any reasonable person would conclude from their name – they actually exist to undermine Renewable Energy – in that respect their name is a deceit."
Other critics such as Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK RenewableUK, formerly known as the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), is the trade association for wind power, wave power and tidal power industries in the United Kingdom. RenewableUK has over 660 corporate members, from wind, wave and tidal st ...
, a trade body
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partici ...
that represents more than 600 wind and marine energy firms, says the Renewable Energy Foundation's true purpose is diametrically opposed to the interests of the wind energy industry. "It is an anti-wind lobbying organisation," she told BusinessGreen. "I'd like to know where the renewable energy part of their remit is. They don't foster or promote or develop, they just try to undermine the case for wind energy all the time."
References
External links
Renewable Energy Foundation website
*{{EW charity, 1107360, The Renewable Energy Foundation
Environmental charities based in the United Kingdom