Change in the air for UK power
The removal of restrictions on onshore wind will reduce costs and emissions. It may even tempt the majors to diversify into the sector
The glaring omission from the UK’s renewable power success story has been the ability of onshore wind—almost certainly the cheapest form of renewable energy—to compete on a level playing field for supply contracts. That all changed in March, and the sector looks set for a renaissance. Onshore wind had been a booming sector until the UK’s right-leaning Conservative party won a parliamentary majority in a 2015 poll, freeing them from a coalition with the centre-left Liberal Democrats. That allowed the Conservatives to pursue a not-in-my-backyard agenda favoured by the party’s rural supporters. Planning applications were effectively subject to veto by local campaign groups and onshore wind was
Also in this section
10 May 2024
Launch of project powered by geothermal energy in Iceland marks step forward in push to scale up expensive direct-air-capture technology
8 May 2024
Allowance prices rise 34% since start of year as regulator imposes tighter limits and considers reduction of free allocations
7 May 2024
Policymakers should consider backing enhanced weathering as a CDR technique with benefits to the agricultural sector
3 May 2024
Developers look to government’s forthcoming budget to restore support as industry suffers loss of momentum