1,000 communities to get mega payout for having small wind generators and photo voltaic panels
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband says state owned company is ‘at the heart of our mission to take back control of our energy from dictators like Putin’, as he announces a huge renewables drive
More than 1,000 communities across Britain will get money for housing mini energy projects on their doorstep, the government has announced.
Anything from small wind turbines to solar panels will be installed in places such as libraries and other public buildings. And they will be able to keep a chunk of the profit they generate, to be invested back into local services.
It follows an announcement in March this year that hundreds of schools and hospitals across the UK are to receive £180million for solar panels from the government’s new state-owned energy company. It marked the first major investment from Great British Energy, as part of government efforts to reduce the country’s planet-warming emissions.
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The firm, which Labour says is Britain’s first new publicly owned energy company in more than 75 years, has now published its priorities for the next five years. Among other targets is having at least 15 gigawatts of clean energy generation and storage assets, or enough to power the equivalent of almost 10 million homes.
Great British Energy is designed to be both a developer and investor, giving the public what the government claims will be “a lasting stake in the full lifecycle of clean energy infrastructure”. It was set-up to accelerate the country’s transition to clean, home-grown energy.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, writing in the Mirror, said: “Great British Energy is at the heart of our mission to take back control of our energy from dictators like Putin – getting Britain off the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets with homegrown clean power.”
Dan McGrail, Great British Energy’s chief executive, said: “We are proud to be putting public ownership to work, unlocking investment, powering communities, creating jobs, and building an energy system that delivers for the UK. This Strategic Plan marks a major milestone in our mission to accelerate clean energy and the industries that support it.”
Juergen Maier, its chair, added: “This plan puts the UK public at the heart of our energy future. By investing in clean power, supporting local projects, and unlocking British industry, Great British Energy will help deliver an energy system that works for everyone.
Comment by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband
Britain’s drive for clean energy is about answering the call that so many have for a different kind of economy that works for the many, not the few. Our government refuses to accept that the days when Britain owned things and built things are in the past. That is why we set up Great British Energy, Britain’s first new publicly owned energy company in more than 75 years. We think there is a crucial role for a national energy champion in seizing the opportunities of clean energy for Britain. This is something other European countries have long recognised. Indeed, the approach of previous governments in Britain was to allow public ownership of our energy infrastructure by any country except our own. We believe if it’s good enough for the people of France, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, then it’s good enough for the British people too. And we can already see the benefits of this approach. Great British Energy is putting solar panels of the roofs of around 250 schools, 250 hospitals and a dozen military sites – cutting their bills and saving money that can be reinvested in our public services. This is just the beginning. Today Great British Energy has published its first Strategic Plan – setting out the steps it will take over the next five years to ensure the British people reap the benefits of our clean energy resources. This offers an incredibly exciting blueprint for the future, from building 15GW of clean power, enough to power the equivalent of 10 million homes, to supporting over 1,000 local and community energy projects – building wind turbines and solar panels in our cities, towns and villages and giving communities a stake. Great British Energy is at the heart of our mission to take back control of our energy from dictators like Putin – getting Britain off the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets with homegrown clean power. And it will drive forward our industrial strategy, helping to answer the question that people have about where the jobs of the future will come from, as it directly supports at least 10,000 jobs around the UK by 2030. In doing so, its £1billion investment in clean energy supply chains will bring jobs and industry back to our shores. This is what we mean when we say industrial policy is back in Britain – ensuring the cables, blades and turbines we need are built by our brilliant engineers and technicians. Great British Energy is already demonstrating what a publicly owned energy company can deliver for our country. Today’s plan shows it is just getting started.
