An energy saving expert has said government investment in renewables is essential to the development of new eco products.

Angela Gallacher from The Renewable Energy Centre.co.uk, a UK website that provides information on renewable technologies and advice on installation, explained that state investment in the sector is vital as private money dried up during the recession.

She added that financial support for the renewable energy industry is "essential if the UK is going to remain at the forefront of new technology in this arena".

Ms Gallacher made the comments after the Department of Energy and Climate Change announced an extra £20 million in government-backed venture capital support for clean technologies of the future.

The new allocation is the latest instalment of £405 million announced in the Budget for energy saving low carbon measures.

In the April 2009 Budget, the government committed to a 34 per cent reduction in the UK's carbon emissions by 2020.