Sheep and lambs grazing near wind turbines at Llyn Alaw Wind Farm in Anglesey, Wales, UK on February 17, 2020. Andrew Aitchison / In Pictures via Getty Images
Why you can trust us
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing high-quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes and solutions.
Ed Miliband, Britain's energy and climate change minister, announced the government's Clean Power 2030 plan on Friday, which includes measures for ministers to give final approval to large onshore wind farms.
The plan is part of an “ambitious” goal to reach 95 percent green energy by the end of the decade, BBC News reported.
“A new era of clean electricity for our country offers a positive vision for the UK’s future with energy security, lower bills, good jobs and climate action. This can only happen with big, bold change, and that is why the government is embarking on the most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations,” Miliband said in a government press release. “The era of clean electricity is about harnessing the power of Britain’s natural resources so we can protect working people from the ravages of global energy markets.”
Miliband also wants the country's energy regulator to have the power to take on energy projects waiting to be connected to the national grid, BBC News said.
The Labor government wants large onshore wind projects to be brought back into England's system of nationally significant infrastructure projects, along with other energy infrastructure.
Labour's plans would give the government the final say on approving wind projects larger than 100 megawatts (MW), rather than putting the responsibility on local councils – which have often voiced opposition.
“We welcome the prospect of cutting red tape around grid connections, lifting the ban on onshore wind energy in England and allowing further special offers to reduce energy costs. The UK's high energy prices are the result of years of poor rules that don't allow us to build renewable energy where it's needed or use cheap wind when it's plentiful. So these are positive steps,” Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson said in the press release.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said Labour's new proposals would generate £40 billion in private sector funding a year, The Guardian reported.
The plan was welcomed by environmental groups and the energy industry.
The announcement follows the signing of the final investment decision for the UK's first carbon capture project in Teesside on Tuesday. Construction will begin in mid-2025, with the East Coast Cluster designed to capture and sequester carbon emissions from the region's industries.
Environmentalists called on the government to invest not in carbon capture projects but in the development of renewable energy.
“Any money earmarked for carbon capture and storage – which is expensive, impossible to make carbon-free and fails to decouple electricity prices from the volatile international gas market – would be better spent on renewables, the grid and storage infrastructure “that will actually deliver clean electricity,” said Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, as The Guardian reported.
The publication of the new action plan follows an analysis by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) of the pathways to Labor's 2030 target submitted to the Department of Energy. NESO called the goal a “huge challenge” but “achievable,” PA Media reported.
British ministers want to wean the country off its dependence on fossil fuels, which became clear when Britain's energy bills soared to record highs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, The Guardian reported.
The UK government will launch a call for evidence of solar panel canopies on car parks in 2025. She said a significant number of solar panels could also potentially be installed on factory and warehouse roofs, with a fifth of the largest warehouses in the UK providing up to 15GW of solar capacity.
Low electricity generation from solar and wind has forced the UK to rely heavily on burning wood and gas pellets. Around 65 percent of the UK's electricity comes from gas and biomass, while only 5.3 percent is generated by wind power.
“The wind of change is finally blowing in the right direction. But this roadmap must triple the amount of electricity generated by offshore wind and solar and at least double that of onshore wind if it is to deliver the ambition needed to drive our path towards a renewable energy future,” Parr said, as reported by The Guardian.
Subscribe to receive exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertising and sponsored content.