The Renewable Energy Association, the representative body for the renewable energy industry, is today celebrating the arrival of their 500th member, the Co-operative Group.
�Reaching 500 members in just over five years is an important milestone�, says Philip Wolfe, Chief Executive of the REA. �And I�m delighted that it�s the Co-op which got us there. We�ve welcomed several of the major banks and retailers like Marks and Spencer into the REA in recent months. These progressive household brands have realised that, to meet their own sustainability objectives, they need direct involvement in renewable energy.�
Paul Monahan, Head of Sustainability at the Co-op added: �Although the Co-op already obtains 98% of its electricity from green sources, we want to go further, hence our solar tower initiative in Manchester. We are also building wind farms on our farmland, developing on site renewable on our buildings and carrying out feasibility studies into biomass heating. We are known for our ethical stance. Developing renewables is an ethical and important contribution to the UK impact on climate change. We welcome the opportunity to work with the REA to widen our renewable technology portfolio.�
Last month, the EU agreed to achieve 20% of its total energy from renewables by 2020. On current trends, that would place renewables alongside oil as the second largest contributors to the energy mix � behind gas, but ahead of coal and nuclear. The renewable industry is therefore set for rapid growth, and the expansion of the REA ensures that it will have a powerful representative voice.
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