State ‘actively preventing’ private low-carbon investment

The state is “actively preventing” private investment in efforts to achieve net zero through the planning system, Energy UK has told the ex-minister heading the government review of how its 2050 decarbonisation goal will be achieved.

In its submission to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department’s review of net zero, which is being carried out by former energy minister Chris Skidmore, the industry umbrella body warns that planning restrictions are blocking the cost-effective development of onshore solar and wind power.

The submission, seen by Utility Week, says: “The planning system is causing difficulties for businesses looking to expand their services and for investors seeking to commit finance to these promising industries.

“The planning system is a particularly useful tool to government because it can be done at extraordinarily little public expense. The state is currently actively preventing private investment in net zero – unleashing that economic opportunity is vital to realising potential growth.’

Energy UK warns that it would be “extremely hard” to achieve government targets to increase UK solar capacity fivefold by 2035, which was outlined in April’s British Energy Security Strategy, if there is “no level playing field” for the technology.

It says tightening the rules on the kind of agricultural land solar farms can be built on, which was mooted by Liz Truss, would be the most significant barrier to unleashing the deployment of renewables.

The former prime minister launched moves to ban deployment of solar panels on moderate quality agricultural land, known as category 3b.

While this is less productive for food than the higher grade best and most versatile land, it is flat enough to install solar panels.

Truss’ proposal would “curb the development of solar power, skewing the planning system against solar technology” by putting around 58% of UK agricultural land off-limits to the technology, says Energy UK’s response.

Achieving the higher BESS solar power targets would require a 38GW increase in the deployment of ground-mounted panels.

Energy UK also backs an urgent review of national planning policy which it says acts as a “de facto ban on onshore wind”.

And the response says reform of the energy market should focus on “evolutionary improvements” of existing mechanisms and “more fundamental changes should be avoided unless a robust case for change has been made”.

Skidmore was commissioned by Truss during her short tenure as prime minister to review whether the 2050 net zero goal is being implemented cost effectively.

EAC to review role of solar in hitting net zero

The Energy UK response has emerged as the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) announced on Thursday (3 November) that it is examining the role onshore solar energy technologies can play in the UK’s journey to net zero.

Solar will be under the microscope in the latest stage of the EAC’s ongoing Technological Innovation and Climate Change inquiry.

EAC chairman Philip Dunne said: “Developing solar technologies for domestic and large-scale use provides a major opportunity to harness this energy, building up domestic energy resilience and helping to meet the UK’s net zero goals. The UK is way behind other countries in deployment of solar energy generation. Our committee wants to find out why, and how we can light the way to a new solar dawn.”

The committee has said it wants evidence on the solar stage of the inquiry to be submitted by 1 December.