The Government’s planned statutory carbon trading scheme is set to provide an extra financial incentive to reduce streetlighting energy consumption.
Local authorities using 6,000 MWh of energy a year will, from 2010, have to take part in the ‘carbon reduction commitment’, obliging them to invest or trade to reduce carbon budgets to below a mandatory cap.
Around 25 local authorities are pre-empting the mandatory scheme with a voluntary one, to be launched by the Local Government Information Unit next week.
Both schemes will include emissions generated by streetlighting, which would provide a new incentive, according to Gemma Roberts, policy analyst at the LGIU’s Centre for Local Sustainability, for investing in technology, such as dimming switches.
Councils would also be learning, under the voluntary scheme, how trading could reduce the overall carbon emissions of local government.
‘Trading means that not everybody needs to rush into investing in untested technologies,’ she said.
The voluntary scheme, unlike the mandatory one, could also include emissions from councils’ vehicle fleets – provided reliable data was available. ‘Having verifiable data is going to be crucial to making this work,’ stressed Roberts.
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
