70 Rocío Alvarez-Tinoco et al.
yet to be determined whether this will be entirely via larger conventional reactors
or with a contribution from so- called small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
While this is a contested issue, some studies consider nuclear power a secure and
effective investment for the UK electricity sector (Levi and Pollitt, 2015).
Renewable energy policy
The adoption of renewable resources within the UK’s electricity mix has significantly increased over the last ten years, with their overall contribution to UK
electricity generation more than tripling between 2008 and 2016 (Figure 5.1),
reaching a total share of more than a quarter of the total domestic installed
capacity (DUKES, 2017). With favourable natural conditions, strategic investments in research and technological innovation, and public financial incentives, UK renewable electricity generation has been increasingly relying on
offshore wind energy, gaining European and international leadership in the
sector (Toke, 2011; Higgins and Foley, 2014; Kern et al., 2014). With offshore
wind gaining more attention, renewable resources that received significant
public support in earlier years (onshore wind and solar) are now facing cuts in
public support, while others such as biomass and tidal have problems. For
instance, Drax Power Station is controversial for replacing coal with large
amounts of imported biomass, and tidal stream technologies are still in development and more research is needed to find optimal locations and reduce costs.
Wind and solar PV clearly possess substantial potential for contributing
further to the decarbonisation process (Raugei and Leccisi, 2016). Coupled with
strong political support from both major political parties and most of civil
society, wind and more recently solar have attracted substantial private investments, assisted by rapid technological innovation and a corresponding reduction in costs. Onshore wind dominated during the period up to around 2010,
with offshore wind now the most promising renewable option for the decarbonisation of the UK electricity system, while solar PV has also grown substantially
since 2010. Recent official documents clearly emphasise significant political
support for expanding offshore wind in the short, medium and long term (HM
Government, 2017).
Our research method is described in the Research process and methods box.
Note that while both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed, we
report here only on the qualitative part of the research.
Research process and methods
The mixed method approach used in this research involved qualitative and quantitative methods to identify and assess risks and uncertainties in low- carbon mitigation pathways for the UK electricity system. We used qualitative methods
including interviews, surveys, and face- to-face stakeholder engagement to: identify
the possible transition pathways for the UK electricity system; identify and assess
yet to be determined whether this will be entirely via larger conventional reactors
or with a contribution from so- called small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
While this is a contested issue, some studies consider nuclear power a secure and
effective investment for the UK electricity sector (Levi and Pollitt, 2015).
Renewable energy policy
The adoption of renewable resources within the UK’s electricity mix has significantly increased over the last ten years, with their overall contribution to UK
electricity generation more than tripling between 2008 and 2016 (Figure 5.1),
reaching a total share of more than a quarter of the total domestic installed
capacity (DUKES, 2017). With favourable natural conditions, strategic investments in research and technological innovation, and public financial incentives, UK renewable electricity generation has been increasingly relying on
offshore wind energy, gaining European and international leadership in the
sector (Toke, 2011; Higgins and Foley, 2014; Kern et al., 2014). With offshore
wind gaining more attention, renewable resources that received significant
public support in earlier years (onshore wind and solar) are now facing cuts in
public support, while others such as biomass and tidal have problems. For
instance, Drax Power Station is controversial for replacing coal with large
amounts of imported biomass, and tidal stream technologies are still in development and more research is needed to find optimal locations and reduce costs.
Wind and solar PV clearly possess substantial potential for contributing
further to the decarbonisation process (Raugei and Leccisi, 2016). Coupled with
strong political support from both major political parties and most of civil
society, wind and more recently solar have attracted substantial private investments, assisted by rapid technological innovation and a corresponding reduction in costs. Onshore wind dominated during the period up to around 2010,
with offshore wind now the most promising renewable option for the decarbonisation of the UK electricity system, while solar PV has also grown substantially
since 2010. Recent official documents clearly emphasise significant political
support for expanding offshore wind in the short, medium and long term (HM
Government, 2017).
Our research method is described in the Research process and methods box.
Note that while both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed, we
report here only on the qualitative part of the research.
Research process and methods
The mixed method approach used in this research involved qualitative and quantitative methods to identify and assess risks and uncertainties in low- carbon mitigation pathways for the UK electricity system. We used qualitative methods
including interviews, surveys, and face- to-face stakeholder engagement to: identify
the possible transition pathways for the UK electricity system; identify and assess