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Lib Dem Minister Chris Huhne calls on councils to kick-start green energy
August 13, 2010 10:12 AM
Originally published by UK Liberal Democrats
Originally published by UK Liberal Democrats
Chris Huhne & Stephen Robinson call on everyone to cut their carbon footprint
New policy from a Liberal Democrat Government Minister could lead to a big boost for green energy. Chris Huhne (Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change) is calling on councils to take up the chance to sell any surplus green electricity that they generate to the national grid.
At present only 0.01% of electricity in England is generated by council-owned renewable sources, despite the scope that exists to install projects on their land and buildings. In Germany the figure is 100 times higher.
Councils can put any renewable electricity they generate to local use but they are restricted from selling any excess renewable electricity into the grid. The steps that are now being taken could mean up to £200m a year in income for local authorities across England and Wales.
In advance of a visit to Woking Borough Council's clean energy projects, Chris Huhne said:
"For too long, Whitehall's dogmatic reliance on 'big' energy has stood in the way of the vast potential role of local authorities in the UK's green energy revolution.
"Forward thinking local authorities such as Woking in Surrey have been quietly getting on with it, but against the odds, their efforts are frustrated by the law.
"I've taken the early step of overturning the ban on local authorities selling renewable electricity to the grid.
"This is a vital step to making community renewable projects commercially viable, to bring in long-term income to benefit local areas, and to secure local acceptance for low carbon energy projects."
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