Simon Moore
Senior Research Fellow for Environment & Energy, 2010-14
This report calls for plans to introduce auctioning to enable all technologies to compete on a level playing field should be brought forward. It points to Brazil, where prices for onshore wind have dropped to world record lows since auctioning was introduced. If the UK can achieve a even a fraction of the results from Brazil, it would allow much greater decarbonisation for the available budget.
Connecting the UK to power stations in other countries could help bring down energy bills and meet our decarbonisation targets. Getting Interconnected shows that interconnectors could save British consumers as much as £1bn a year, as well as allowing access to zero-carbon electricity. The report calls for overseas generators to be allowed to compete for government subsidy in the new capacity market and endorses ways to ensure that revenue supports development of new interconnector links.
On 21st November 2013, Policy Exchange held a roundtable discussion on ways to improve the emissions performance of London’s road transport, and how local and national government policy can develop to reduce pollution and improve public health. This publication is a summary of the remarks made at that event.
If the Cap Fits says that the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is currently too weak, which could lead to a surge in new coal generation. It will also fail to meet the European Union’s own carbon reduction objectives. The paper argues that a more ambitious cap on Europe’s emissions is essential and makes recommendations for reform.
Households could reduce their gas and electricity bills by as much as £70 a year if they were allowed to compare each other’s energy bills. Smarter, Greener, Cheaper, shows there is evidence both internationally and in the UK that households cut the amount of energy they use when their energy use is compared to that of a more energy efficient neighbour.
Gas Works? says that the government is “unnecessarily gambling with billpayers' money”. It says that the UK’s energy generation plans are based on forecasting future gas prices which is a flawed strategy, potentially resulting in the UK missing out on the potential economic and environmental benefits of shale gas.
Climate Change Policy - Time for Plan B proposes high level changes in UK and EU policy, with the aim of developing a “Plan B” Climate Policy that would better reflect the new and potentially dangerous circumstances we find ourselves in.
2020 Hindsight examines 16 different plans for achieving the UK target of an 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. None of the models showed that the UK’s commitment to producing 35% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 was needed to reach its carbon target.
Simon Moore, Policy Exchange's Senior Environment & Energy Research Fellow, tackles the criticism that interconnectors do not provide a reliable source of electricity that can be counted on in a crisis. Simon argues that interconnectors actually improve security of supply for countries during crisis points, but those interconnectors actually need to be built first, as we point out in our report Getting Interconnected.
Simon Moore, Policy Exchange's Senior Research Fellow for Environment & Energy, argues that the renewable energy target has been a disaster. Simon argues that instead a more ambitious European carbon target, feeding in to a more ambitious Emissions Trading System cap, will be a far more effective way of combating climate change.
Policy Exchange's Senior Environment & Energy Research Fellow, Simon Moore, sets out the benefits of greater interconnectivity with other countries' electricity markets. Such benefits include helping to manage fluctuation from weather-dependent energy sources, alleviating security of supply concerns and the potential to enable new market participants and cross-border competition.
Simon Moore, Policy Exchange's Senior Research Fellow for Environment & Energy, argues that it is not enough for the Airports Commission interim recommendations due tomorrow to focus simply increase airport capacity, but they must actively tackle noise, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as well.
Simon Moore, Environment & Energy Research Fellow at Policy Exchange, highlights the great uncertainties of shale gas - namely whether it can be produced commercially. He argues that this uncertainty, inherent in any new form of energy generation, shows the need for an energy market with a proper carbon pricing strategy that will be able to explore the future and whether new technologies can change prices.
Simon Moore, Environment & Energy Research Fellow at Policy Exchange, sets out the case from our report If the Cap Fits for ambitious reform strengthening the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, based on a demanding 2035 cap.
Policy Exchange's Environment & Energy unit members Simon Moore and Guy Newey argue that Tim Yeo and Barry Gardiner's proposed electricity decarbonisation amendment to the Energy Bill is an unnecessary and potentially expensive commitment. They call for those who support action on climate change not to automatically support this amendment.
Simon Moore, Environment & Energy Research Fellow, argues in response to a report by the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee on the impact of shale gas on energy markets, saying that while the report offers a largely sensible overview, the government's Electricity Market Reform (EMR) policy is vulnerable to mistakes in gas price projections, as outlined in Policy Exchange report Gas Works.
