Atkins supports DECC's 2050 Pathway carbon calculator - 03 March 2011

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Atkins is supporting the Department of Energy & Climate Change’s (DECC) 2050 Pathway web tool which will allow the public to join the debate on how the UK should decarbonise its economy. Keith Clarke, Atkins’ chief executive, was one of eight Pathway authors chosen to give their view on the engineering and behavioural changes necessary to come close to an 80% reduction

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in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Keith Clarke said: “Whilst significant strides are being taken by many of the COP15 Accord signatories there is a fierce debate over the best way to achieve radical decarbonisation of the world’s economy. We know there must be a step-change in engineering and design practices, accompanied by technology innovation. We also know that the way society reacts to the changes will be a key factor.

“In that context, DECC’s2050 Pathwaycalculator is an extremely credible tool, providing an important simplification of a stunningly complex multi-dimensional issue. It allows us to embrace the debate without dying in the detail.”

Atkins is the only engineering company chosen by DECC to take part in the web tool launch and joins otherPathwayauthors from the National Grid, Friends of the Earth and the Energy Technologies Institute.

DECC’sMy2050tool can be accessed this morning via the main website athttp://decc.gov.uk/2050or directly athttp://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/. Choices for decarbonisation include how many new nuclear power stations should be built, how much heating people will use in their homes and where the energy will come from?

Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne, said: “There’s no silver bullet solution to the UK’s energy future. This project is all about getting to grips with the hard choices and trade-offs which need to be made, choices which will affect our homes, communities and the way we travel. We can’t afford to leave it till tomorrow – so get involved today’”

Keith Clarke’s vision can be found athttp://blog.decc.gov.uk/?page_id=334. It achieves a 77% emissions reduction against 1990 levels with an emphasis on the electrification of vehicles and freight trains, improved heat efficiency of building and a focus on the use of electricity as the primary energy source.

Keith adds: “OurPathwaydoes fall marginally short of an 80% reduction but the assumptions behind the calculator are essentially based on known technology. We are optimistic that current levels of technical innovation will deliver the step changes necessary to meet the UK’s target by 2050.”

You can also hear Keith describing his vision by

target="_blank">following this link

Ends

For more information:

Andy Winstanley
Head of PR +44(0)1372 752018 / +44(0)7803 259643

andy.winstanley@atkinsglobal.com

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Notes to editors:

Atkins’ Pathway explanation

• Demand side reduction in the domestic housing stock will be slow (due to the complexity of the stock and reticence of homeowners to make the necessary levels of improvement). Emphasis must be placed on improvements in the commercial sector where there are fewer obstacles

• Mass electrification of the transport network and the delivery of low-carbon mass transit schemes must be a priority. In parallel with improving battery capacity (range) we must provide the infrastructure to support the rapid take-up of electric vehicles

• Make better use of ‘waste heat’ from the thermal generation of electricity. The opportunities for district heating are good. The use of waste heat is viable for a large portion of the UK population and is essentially carbon free. The technology is simple and readily available

• Due to the variability of electricity supply from renewables and the lag in the development of CCS technology it is inevitable that a significant proportion of our electricity base-load will be provided by nuclear power

• Variable load must be provided by coal and gas fired stations provided with high levels of CCS. The level of investment will be large and the delivery programme long

• A wide variety of renewables technologies must be adopted and greater prominence must be given to solar PV, tidal, hydroelectric and geothermal schemes. We must push hard on the delivery of off-shore wind but the technical challenges are considerable and must not be underestimated.

• Energy storage needs a higher profile

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is the UK’s largest engineering and design consultancy and the world’s 11th largest design firm. We have the depth and breadth of expertise to respond to the most technically challenging and time critical infrastructure projects and the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy. Whether it’s the concept for a new skyscraper, the upgrade of a rail network, the modelling of a flood defence system or the improvement of a management process, we plan, design and enable solutions.

Recent projects include:

• Major infrastructure works, such as the design and programme management of the civil works for the Dubai Metro red and green lines in the UAE;

• High profile transport planning and urban design – our innovative scheme to deliver a diagonal crossing at Oxford Circus in London, UK, has helped tackle the problem of pedestrian crowding;

• Key rail projects – providing architectural and engineering design services on Crossrail, Europe’s biggest civil engineering project in London, UK, and designing stations, tunnelling and track systems for Gautrain, South Africa’s first high speed line;

• Vital water and environmental projects – as part of a joint venture, Atkins is providing technical assistance to the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme in Nigeria, which will benefit up to three million people;

• Multidisciplinary building design – Northwood Primary School in Darlington, UK, is an exemplar project which raises standards for environmental design and community engagement.

Atkins was named Consultancy of the Year in the CIBSE Low Carbon Performance Awards 2010; received the first ever certification of the Carbon Trust Standard awarded to an engineering consultancy in the construction sector; and was named amongThe TimesTop 50 Companies Where Women Want to Work 2009 andThe TimesTop 100 Graduate Employers 2010. Atkins was also construction and civil engineering sector winner for the fifth consecutive year in the Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2010 and was awarded a RoSPA Gold Award 2010 for excellence in control of health and safety in the workplace.

Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

News Source : Atkins supports DECC's 2050 Pathway carbon calculator - 03 March 2011