The Guardian describes the background to this crazy policy block on onshore wind which has had huge consequences for other parts of the renewables sector.  This could have a huge impact on the water industry which has a huge energy bill but the capacity, expertise and land to do far more – for example Severn Trent who are aiming for 50% renewables supply by 2020 and 100% by 2030. Why should they be energy generators?

BEIS ‘Millions more homes to be powered by renewables

Measures to promote new renewable electricity generation projects launched in boost for renewables supply chain.

Published 2 March 2020  From:   Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP

• Measures to promote new renewable electricity generation projects launched
• Boost for supply chain, adding to the 20,600 jobs and £628 million of exports each year already supported by the renewables industry
• Tough new guidance for renewable energy developers to ensure local communities given more effective voice and make sure they have a definitive say on developments that affect them

Details of the next round of the Contracts for Difference scheme, which opens in 2021, have been set out today, Monday 2 March.

This latest round will be open to renewable technologies including onshore wind and solar, with proposals to include floating offshore wind. The scheme will also be changed to facilitate the deployment of energy storage.

Local communities will have a more effective voice on developments that impact them, through proposals for tough new guidance on community engagement for developers of onshore wind across Great Britain, also announced today. They will have a definitive say on whether projects are allowed to proceed. It will remain the case that no English onshore wind project can proceed without the consent of the local community.

The Committee on Climate Change have said that we need to quadruple renewable energy generation in the UK to reach net zero by 2050, and today’s announcement is a step in that direction.

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