Thursday 13 April 2017

‘UK could deliver 1GW of new onshore wind without increasing energy bills’

The UK could deliver 1GW of new onshore wind capacity without adding to energy bills.

That's according to a new study commissioned by Scottish Renewables, which suggests subsidising the sector would allow it to grow and cover the additional annual demand of 600,000 homes.

It says this could be achieved at no additional cost to consumers.

However, it says mature renewables would need to be able to bid in auctions for long-term contracts for clean electricity, such as those offered to offshore wind and the new nuclear facility at Hinkley Point.

This hasn't happened since established renewable technologies such as onshore wind and solar were locked out of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) framework in 2015.

The report says this would lower the cost of onshore wind - it claims the government already believes it will soon be the cheapest form of electricity generation in the UK.

The group expects projects could result in more than £1 billion of private sector investment and displace around eight million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide.

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "At these kinds of prices, the technology can continue to play a key role in cutting carbon emissions whilst keeping bills down for businesses and households – an important priority for government."