London’s renewables target doomed to failure

By next year, Livingstone wants to ensure that 20% of the energy used to run new buildings comes from renewable sources. The present target is just 10%.

The BCO, whose members include developers, architects and large office tenants such as banks and law firms, claims the proposals are “nonsense”, as even the current target is missed on a regular basis. It says many planned buildings will breach the stringent limits.

Developers and other interested parties are now lobbying for changes to the Mayor’s plans for buildings to generate their own power through measures such as solar panels and wind turbines, claiming greater impact could be made through energy reduction in the form of efficient building design.