The Renewables Challenge

The RenewableUK Manifesto is our contribution to the debate about the future role of renewable in the energy market and the wider economy.

It sets out an ambitious policy agenda to deliver a renewables revolution, so that within ten years one third of the UK's power supply will be generated by clean renewable energy.

The next UK government will have to direct the transformation of the British economy to sustainability. This will include preparation for the complete decarbonisation of the power sector by 2050, if not earlier. The production at scale of wind, wave and tidal energy will deliver the largest single contribution to this goal, and can help create significant numbers of new manufacturing and service jobs in the low carbon economy.

It won’t be easy to deliver the 30GW of wind we need by 2020 and there are plenty of obstacles ahead that will have to be removed, but, given the right commitment, it can be done.

Financial support – The UK should retain and extend the Renewables Obligation which has already brought forward over 20,000 MW worth of schemes. It should also provide capaital support for emerging technologies such as wave & tidal where necessary.

Planning – There are over 9,000 MW of wind schemes stuck in planning with an approval rate in England & Wales of just 25%. We need a streamlined planning system which engages the local community while enabling development rather than delaying it

Skills & supply chain – Up to 70,000 jobs could be created by the UK iwnd industry by 2020. Government must help ensure that the factories are built here in the UK and that we have the new generation of skilled workers we need.

Grid – Britain´s grid system was built for a different age – it needs to be transformed to cope with the green revolution – extended offshore and to remote windy parts of Britrain but also made smarter and responsive to consumer & environmental demands.

By 2030 the UK could have an energy system that would be the envy of the world – one that enables us to tackle climate change, secure our energy supplies, keep down prices and create thousands of new green-collar jobs.

That is the Renewables Challenge.

Download the Manifesto [pdf - 714KB]