Energy

This POSTnote examines definitions of energy efficiency, looks at methods to measure and verify achieved energy savings and summarises UK and EU polices to promote energy efficiency.

Bioenergy is the use of renewable natural material for power, heat and liquid fuels. Currently, the UK sources approximately 3% of its primary energy from bioenergy feedstocks. This POSTnote considers the opportunities and challenges of producing bioenergy sustainably to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Energy-intensive industries such as chemicals, paper, ceramics, cement, iron and steel are responsible for 45% of carbon emissions from businesses and the public sector in the UK. This briefing discusses carbon dioxide (CO2) abatement technologies for these industries and policies to support their adoption.

Solar power has the potential to provide low carbon electricity and to generate employment. This POSTnote discusses the development of solar power in the UK and summarises debate over feed-in tariffs - financial support policies introduced in 2010 to stimulate take-up.

This POSTnote explores ways in which energy security may be measured for monitoring purposes.

This POSTnote examines the potential for anaerobic digestion in the UK and the main challenges connected with its development.

This POSTnote examines the technical, economic and environmental issues around algal biofuels and their relevance to UK and EU policy targets.

This POSTnote provides an overview of the carbon footprints of a variety of electricity generation technologies, including evidence from more than 30 peer-reviewed studies.

This POSTnote outlines the need for "environmental accounting" by governments, to maintain the capacity of ecosystems to sustain human well-being at acceptable levels.

This POSTnote outlines how the ecostystem approach makes explicit the link between the status of natural resource systems and ecosystem services that support human well-being.

This POSTnote examines the possibilities and challenges for electricity network development.

This POSTnote summarises a longer POST report on environ-mental limits, which sets out the challenges to achieving this aim, whilst considering the complex trade-offs between social, economic and environ-mental objectives. O

This POSTnote focuses on the extent to which EVs could reduce carbon emissions and examines issues that would surround widespread uptake.

This POSTnote outlines efforts to improve the resilience of infrastructure to the risks of natural hazards and any effects of future climate change.

After every general election, POST produces a special briefing highlighting some of the main science-based issues that the new Parliament is likely to encounter.