Dimeta response to the UK Government announcement on net-zero pathway changes

In his speech yesterday, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, outlined new plans and changes to the Government’s green commitments and Net Zero policy. Read Dimeta’s response to the UK Government’s announcement on net-zero pathway changes.

“The Government’s decision to delay action to support the net-zero pathway has stirred debate on all sides. At Dimeta, we have always advocated that there is a vital role for a mix of technologies to decarbonise the varied rural building stock – including heat pumps and renewable liquid gases. A ‘one size fits all’ electrification approach for off-grid homes and businesses is unviable and unaffordable, and to ensure a just and inclusive transition, options such as renewable & recycled carbon dimethyl-ether (DME) or bioLPG are needed to give rural buildings another pathway to Net Zero.

 

Low-carbon DME, produced from renewable feedstocks such as waste or biomass, is chemically similar to LPG. When blended with LPG to heat off-grid homes, DME provides immediate GHG emissions reductions of up to 85%. In the immediate term, use of DME in the off-grid sector requires no infrastructural changes or investment to install new equipment.

 

Just because, according to the Government, we ‘don’t have to do it right now’ to meet our carbon targets doesn’t mean we should be taking our foot off the pedal. Now more than ever, the UK Government needs to work collaboratively with the whole renewables sector, including sustainable fuel producers, to encourage investment, boost production and create an enabling policy framework. If the Prime Minister truly wants to create affordable, sustainable solutions for generations to come, then we must embrace multiple energy solutions and establish the appropriate frameworks now.”

Sophia Haywood, Director of Advocacy & Communications