Ed Miliband’s net zero obsession is harming the green energy transition
Every industry expert agrees that Ed Miliband’s target for a 95 per cent clean energy grid is unattainable and the sacrifices required will alienate the public. There is a better way, says Simon Clarke
It is a deep irony that Ed Miliband, who as energy secretary gave us the Climate Change Act in 2008, risks doing more than any single politician to destroy the agenda he has championed. That is the unavoidable conclusion of Onward’s new research, released today, into the practical implications of the government’s race to decarbonise the grid by 2030.
By 2030, the government intends to double onshore wind, triple solar power and quadruple offshore wind in order to achieve 95 per cent clean energy on the grid. It is the firm view of most industry experts that the 2030 target is not attainable. Even the Tony Blair Institute cautioned last week against Miliband’s utopian approach to net zero.
However, in all realistic scenarios renewable energy will be an increasingly important part of our future energy mix. At a time of growing global uncertainty, it can strengthen our energy sovereignty and security. We also share a clear common interest in making sure that our grid doesn’t collapse under the government’s plans. So nobody can stand apart from this challenge.
A fundamental problem with the 2030 target lies in our transmission network. New renewable generation is outpacing the UK’s capacity to efficiently distribute it to high-demand areas, leading to costly generation curtailment as transmission infrastructure lags behind. Installing this transmission infrastructure is straining local consent to breaking point, with pinch points in counties like North Yorkshire, Essex and Lincolnshire.
Public consent
In the spirit of finding a workable way forward, the issue of public consent is the focus of our latest research. Onward has created a new Fair Share Renewables Index (FSRI) which shows that areas with the most feasible land for renewable projects are also those that have already borne the brunt of past developments and face high levels of local opposition. This creates a challenge: forcing projects through in these communities risks undermining broader public support for clean energy. Without addressing this opposition, the pace of development will fuel an ever-worsening cycle of opposition, delay and associated higher costs – as well as a worsening risk of blackouts.
The first part of the answer to this lies in creating policy certainty. Much local opposition to transmission networks focuses on whether new lines should be installed on an underground or overground basis. An updated review of the associated costs is needed urgently, and should be commissioned immediately. In parallel, we need to clearly define predictable criteria for overground, underground and offshore transmission solutions to reduce the likelihood of community opposition and minimise delays.
The need for energy abundance and resultant cheaper energy is arguably the defining economic challenge for Britain’s households and industrial base alike
The second part of the solution lies in meaningful community compensation and benefits. At present, community benefits packages are provided on a voluntary basis. But in the communities where these will matter most they are a useful tool to compensate for opposition and aid deployment – I saw this in my own former constituency, where the benefits package tied to planning permission for new homes delivered a new GP surgery and a community centre. We recommend that such packages should become mandatory and standardised, with flexibility for local communities to decide how funds are used.
Third, we recommend reviewing strategic land use policy. Germany’s land allocation system in particular offers a good model for ensuring renewable projects are spread more equitably across regions. There should also be a mandatory five-year review cycle for National Policy Statements to ensure these reflect new technologies and evolving energy capacity needs.
The need for energy abundance and resultant cheaper energy is arguably the defining economic challenge for Britain’s households and industrial base alike. The prize is enormous, but so are the risks of leaving the public behind.
Simon Clarke is the director of Onward, the centre-right thinktank