UK: REA welcomes Labour Party’s energy announcements

The Labour Party’s announcements recognise the vital role of renewables in bringing down energy bills and delivering energy security, the REA said.

Mark Sommerfeld, Head of Power and Flexibility at the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said: “The REA welcomes these targets, as they recognise the need for renewables to bring down energy bills and deliver energy security. Increasing the amount of home-grown low carbon power generation, while supporting energy efficiency measures, will remove the UK’s reliance on expensive imported fossil gas. In doing so it divorces energy bills from the primary factor behind the horrendous forecasted costs that will be faced by consumers and businesses this winter."

Now Labour needs to set out what mechanism they would plan to see these targets delivered and how they will work with the renewable and clean technology sector to see deployment rapidly increased. In addition, it must be ensured that a diverse low carbon power system is delivered, including commitments to other low carbon technologies that are critical to energy security, including a range of bioenergy applications, deep geothermal energy and energy storage.

The announcements are in sharp contrast to recent statements from the Conservative leadership candidates, who have questioned the role of renewables, even though they are the cheapest forms of generation. Leadership candidates have expressed the view that solar farm developments should be replaced with crops and livestock, adding uncertainty to both the solar industry and the energy transition. The independent National Food Strategy Review concluded that solar projects do not present a risk to the UK’s food security.