London, UK – [08/10/2024] – During today’s House of Commons session, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband outlined a series of bold steps aimed at strengthening the UK’s energy security and advancing towards net zero.
The discussion centred around lifting restrictions on renewable energy projects, including the end of a nine-year ban on onshore wind, and a renewed focus on community-driven solar projects.
Miliband emphasised the urgency of these changes and underscored the government’s commitment to accelerating the green transition.
“Mr. Speaker, this is a government in a hurry to meet our mandate from the British people, and we’re just getting started,” Miliband stated, highlighting recent actions such as consenting more nationally significant solar projects than in the last 14 years combined, and overseeing the most successful renewables auction in history.
He contrasted these accomplishments with the previous administration’s auction round, which he described as having “crashed offshore wind.”
Focus on Community Energy: Solar for Schools and Public Buildings
One major theme during the session was the role of community energy projects, particularly solar installations on public buildings like schools.
An MP from Stroud raised a local initiative, noting, “In Stroud, we are developing a community energy programme of putting solar panels on every school and public building that agree to it.”
Miliband responded with support for such efforts, emphasising the role of Great British Energy in driving local partnerships: “We want to work with local schools, local hospitals, and indeed local leaders to have a programme around, uh, solar panels, because this is a way to rapidly decarbonise and to save money off bills.”
Expanding Renewable Energy and Community Benefits
The government’s commitment to community benefit schemes for renewable energy infrastructure was also highlighted.
Addressing a question about compensation for communities hosting wind and solar farms, the Secretary of State said, “I believe that when communities host a clean energy infrastructure, they should automatically get benefit from it. I’m also sympathetic to what he says about minimum levels of support. This is something we’re discussing with industry at the moment and will come forward with proposals soon.”
The session also touched upon ongoing projects like the Fairwater Community Campus in Cardiff West, a model of sustainable development and energy efficiency. Miliband praised the efforts, noting that such collaborations are essential to achieving “our net zero commitments both here and in Wales.”
Strengthening Britain’s Role on the Global Stage
In addition to domestic initiatives, the government reiterated its international climate leadership. Miliband announced plans to attend the COP29 talks in Azerbaijan, where he intends to “stand up for Britain’s interests” and continue pushing for global progress on climate change.
He underlined the importance of setting a high standard with the UK’s climate targets to encourage international action, stating, “By having a 1.5 degree aligned target, we hope to set a good benchmark and a good example to the world.”
The session’s discussions made clear that the government is intent on rectifying what Miliband described as “the situation we inherited from the last government,” emphasising a clear plan to reach the UK’s ambitious 2030 clean power goals.
Nick Rosen, expert on off-grid living and author at off-grid.net, said: “The strategy in the first 100 days seems to be to hand large subsidies to the companies that caused high electricity prices and pollution in the first place.
“£630 million to national grid for the energy systems operations they used to manage, complete with ageing infrastructure and profits last year of £24 million.
“£22 billion pounds for CCS, a loss making technology but funding for small scale energy will be delivered in due course.
“The government has promised 2000 small scale energy hubs in the UK over 5 years and they should have announced some by now.”
Nick Rosen Available for Comment
Note to editors:
Nick Rosen, expert on off-grid living and author at off-grid.net, is available for interviews or comments on this subject.
He can provide insights into the potential impacts of community energy projects on local economies and the role of grassroots initiatives in achieving national energy goals.
For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
Dimitris Mavrokefalidis, PR Consultant, Off-grid.net / Nick Rosen
