A green energy future will require critical decisions on upgrades to the grid and the fossil fuels switchover
The government has set growth as its defining mission. Even as it has pivoted to tackling cost of living pressures in the near term. It has argued that a “greener economy” is central to growth. That reducing the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels and boosting sustainable energy sources – wind, solar and water – will boost jobs and prosperity.
The Greens’ byelection victory last week in Gorton and Denton has given the agenda new impetus. But the path to growth through greening is not a smooth one, and strategic decision-making on the part of the government will be critical to success.
Arguably, renewables is the area of its domestic agenda where the government has been most energetic: the de facto ban on offshore wind has ended, and there have been myriad approvals for new wind and solar farms.
Examples are the Tillbridge solar farm in Lincolnshire, the largest solar project in the UK, and Berwick Bank offshore windfarm in the outer Firth of Forth, Scotland, set to be one of the biggest of its kind in the world.
However, determined action from the government will be needed to upgrade the grid, ensure fossil fuels are not switched off before renewables come on stream and to design a system for funding the transition that is fair – and seen to be fair.
Since 2019, the UK has had in place a legal mandate to reach net zero by 2050. Today, 47% of the UK’s electricity comes from renewable sources, compared with 34% before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read more: Observer
