Wind power advocates RenewableUK today urge the Johnson government to commit to specific deployment targets for onshore wind, offshore floating wind, renewable hydrogen and marine energy, in the run-up to the United Nations’ climate change summit in Glasgow in November.
The body’s report, “Raising the bar: the world-leading energy commitments the UK should make ahead of COP26” argues that the Prime Minister’s new target of slashing emissions by 78% by 2035, and reaching net zero emissions by 2050, can only be achieved by setting out clear milestones to be met by 2030.
Author Nathan Bennett, the wind body’s head of public affairs, details economic opportunities yet to be grasped in green UK power, and international benefits likely to arise from Britain clarifying its clean energy targets ahead of COP26.
The Cameron administration in 2015 eradicated plans for new turbines onshore in England, under pressure from Tory backbenchers.
Today’s report recommends reaching 30GW of onshore UK wind by the end of the decade. Claimed by the lobbyists as the cheapest form of new power generation, onshore wind development support 31,000 UK jobs by 2035, they calculate.
Scotland’s and Wales’ new governments should also accelerate onshore wind, supporting an overarching 30GW ambition for the UK by the end of this decade, the report argues. With these islands as the often claimed ‘Saudi Arabia of wind power’, both Governments have a vital role to play in encouraging other countries around the world to utilise their own wind resources.
Whitehall already targets 1GW of floating wind this decade. But farm developers and turbine makers want to double this, capitalising on Britain’s global lead in this innovative technology, and building out into deeper waters.
Repowering older turbines with state-of the-art modern technology is also envisaged.
Johnson yesterday emerged from a virtual eco-summit run by the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, pledging to put climate finance proposals of up to $100 billion before G7 leaders when they meet next month in Carbis Bay, Cornwall.
Yesterday subsidy adjudicator the Low Carbon Contract Company confirmed that six wind projects in British waters, totalling 5.5GW in capacity, have reached their Milestone Requirement. This is the initial benchmark required for projects aiming to secure contracts for difference (CfDs). Meeting the standard are farms Dogger Bank A, B and C, Sofia, Seagreen and Forthwind. All were awarded CfDs in Round 3 of the scheme in October 2019.
