The government’s new energy strategy is looming. They are attempting to secure energy supplies and try to dampen soaring costs. It’s a big challenge, which can be approached in a few different ways. Some are more sustainable than others.
We caught up with Sarah, our CEO, to get her thoughts on what is needed in the strategy. At its most simple, Sarah is calling for the government to embrace the ‘huge potential’ of onshore wind to secure our energy future, amid reports that the UK is unlikely to authorise the expansion of onshore wind farms as part of its new energy strategy.
She says that the government must fast-track the building of 250 wind farms which are currently stuck in the planning system as part of a five-step plan she has issued to tackle the energy crisis in the short and long term, as we await further detail of the government’s energy strategy.
Sarah goes on to say “The UK is blessed with an amazing resource of onshore wind. Yet so many new wind farm sites are stuck in the planning system. The Government can unlock a cheap, clean energy resource overnight which will lower bills, support our energy independence, and reduce emissions. It’s what people want.
“That long-term focus on onshore wind must be combined with a major push on energy efficiency and heat pumps in order to help meet the short-term challenges facing households, plus a government campaign to share simple tips and advice to cut our energy use.
“Most importantly, any calls for the speed of decarbonisation to be slowed, or for us to revisit fracking in response to this crisis must be fiercely opposed. It won’t reduce prices and goes against efforts to reduce emissions. The simple, cost-effective steps I have outlined will all decrease our emissions and therefore reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels to help ease the cost of living crisis.”
Sarah’s five key steps to energy independence are as follows:
- Build the 250 wind farms in the planning regime as a priority, and ideally ensure they are at least part owned by consumers, to protect them from volatile gas and electricity prices.
- Rollout a major government-funded communications push to provide simple tips for the public to reduce energy use, such as turning down the flow temperatures for combi boilers.
- Urgently improve energy efficiency via grants to pay for insulation, which can be installed before next winter.
- Reduce Britain’s reliance on gas by supporting the widespread installation of heat pumps, which are nearing cost parity with gas boilers.
- Do not use this crisis as an excuse to reduce our efforts to tackle emissions or to revive the shale gas industry. The steps we can take today to reduce emissions also help to reduce our reliance on imported fuels and ease cost of living crisis.
As a team, we’re waiting with baited breath to see what is included in the strategy once it’s released later this week. We stand ready to work with developers to get these wind farms and solar parks built and owned by the people who desperately need the low cost green electricity they can produce. For those looking to take their energy security into their own hands, membership for Kirk Hill wind farm is still open. Offering you clean, affordable energy whilst helping protect you from future price shocks.
