Thousands of wind turbines planned as part of £100 billion UK energy blueprint » Environment » 24dash.com

Thousands of new wind turbines could be built across the UK over the coming decade as part of a radical £100 billion blueprint being unveiled today to boost renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Business Secretary John Hutton acknowledged that the "green" power plants would cost more money and take up more land than conventional electricity generation, but said Britain had "no choice" about moving to lower-carbon energy.

Sticking to fossil fuels for electricity generation would be more expensive in the long run, because of the cost of climate change, he said.

Later today, Mr Hutton will outline measures to build up Britain's clean power supply in order to reach the EU-imposed target of producing 15% of the country's energy from renewable sources by 2020.

And Prime Minister Gordon Brown will signal that he is prepared to take on public opinion over green taxes, insisting that a low carbon society will not emerge from a "business as usual" approach.

"It will require real leadership from Government - being prepared to make hard decisions on planning or on tax for example," he will say in a speech in London.

"It will mean new kinds of consumer behaviour and lifestyles. And it will demand creativity, innovation and entrepreneurialism throughout our economy and our society."

Mr Hutton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Unless we are prepared to make this big shift in the way we generate energy, we are going to stack up bigger costs, inflict greater environmental damage in Britain and the rest of the world.

"It is absolutely imperative that we take as much carbon as possible out of the way we generate energy and this road-map that we are publishing today is the first instalment about how we think we can get there by 2020."

He added: "(Wind turbines) clearly take up more land, there's no question about that... There is a cost in going green, I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

"But it will cost us if we don't, because we have to factor in the climate change cost.

"The challenge for the Government - not just here, but around the world - is to make this change in the most cost-effective way possible.

"We have got to have a big push on energy efficiency to manage demand more effectively. We have got to provide help, if we can, to low-income families particularly those with children, to meet the rising cost of energy.

"This is one of those things where we have little real choice... The option of making no change, I'm afraid, is simply not available to us."

Launching a consultation on the Government's new renewable energy strategy, ministers are expected to say that radical steps are needed to diversify energy supplies, adding that achieving the 15% target will be nothing short of a "national endeavour".

Up to half of the target will have to come from electricity, meaning a third will have to be generated from renewables by 2020, which will call for a massive wind energy building programme.

An extra 4,000 onshore and 3,000 offshore turbines will be needed, impacting on communities, business and the Government.

Visible changes to landscapes, towns and cities are "inevitable" and the support of local communities will be vital, ministers are expected to say.

They will publish new research showing that four out of five people favour wind power and two thirds would be happy to live within three miles of a wind farm.

The Government will also highlight the prospect of creating up to 160,000 new jobs by promoting more renewable energy, including making components for wind turbines and electric cabling.

Moves to speed up the connection of renewable energy projects to the national grid are also expected to be announced today to help clear a huge backlog of proposed developments.

The UK could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20% and reduce its dependency on oil by 7% within 12 years, it is expected to be announced.

Household bills are expected to increase as a result of the measures, but any impact is unlikely to be felt until later in the next decade.

Greenpeace hailed the new strategy as "visionary", but the environment group warned that ministers had promised much before and had so far failed to deliver.

Executive director John Sauven said: "If the Government actually means it this time then Britain will become a better, safer and more prosperous country. We could create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and use less gas, and in the long run our power bills will come down. But it won't happen without real Government action."

Renewable Energy Association executive director Philip Wolfe said: "Government have produced an energy strategy, not just an electricity strategy. This shows a new maturity in approach; getting away from the soundbite policy-making of the past and looking carefully at the role of renewables in buildings, heat, and transport.

"The key missing factor is a greater sense of urgency. We have only twelve years left and Government still wants to use two of those talking about it."

Martin Temple, chairman of the Engineering Employers Federation, said: "Moving to a low-carbon economy will create significant business opportunities for the UK, but we will need to move quickly and decisively. Businesses around the world are alive to the massive opportunities and a number of governments are making their exploitation a national priority."

Nicholas Doyle, Head of Sustainability at Places for People, one of the UK’s largest housing management and development companies, said: "We urgently need to act now or we could find that not only do we risk the lights going out but millions will not be able to afford to turn them on.

"Our increasing demand for energy and the finite supply of oil are fundamentally changing the way we live our lives and build our homes.

"We have to wean our society off its carbon addiction and begin using less energy and more renewables in order to deliver the communities of tomorrow.

"If we don’t we’ll see thousands more people struggle to pay higher energy bills and Britain’s infrastructure begin to buckle as a result of importing an ever dwindling finite resource which is escalating in price."

Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Steve Webb said: "With Britain lagging near the bottom of the European renewables league table, it is hard to believe Gordon Brown's talk of a 'green revolution'.

"The fundamental problem is that Brown doesn't do 'green'. He would rather urge oil producers to extract more oil than invest in technologies that will actually save CO2 emissions now.

"When the Government has failed so lamentably to take a political lead in the last 11 years, why should we believe the coming years will be any different?

"Many other European countries have achieved far more on renewables by giving people incentives to generate their own power.

"So-called feed-in tariffs have been highly successful in countries such as Germany, yet the Government blocked an attempt by its own side to include these in the recent Energy Bill."

Business Secretary John Hutton said: "We are opening a new chapter in Britain's history as a nation of enterprise and innovation, moving from the old, carbon intensive economy of the industrial revolution to the new low carbon technologies of the 21st century.

"This vast expansion of renewable energy marks an important moment in this journey and, alongside our plans for new nuclear and clean coal, will play a crucial role in tackling climate change and reducing our dependency on oil and gas.

"We must make the most rapid progress possible to becoming a cleaner, greener economy and we will strive to make these changes in the most effective way possible, with the least cost to consumers.

"We will also maximise the economic benefit for the UK by creating a new generation of green collar jobs and making the most of our strengths as one of the world's largest manufacturing economies; a world class centre of energy expertise and a leading location for inward investment."

The Business Department published a new opinion poll which it said showed public support for renewable energy, with more than four out of five people in favour.

Two thirds said they would be happy to live within 5km of a wind power development.

The renewable energy strategy consultation published today is aimed at building on existing measures, and includes proposals to encourage around a third of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.

A new financial incentive mechanism will be introduced to encourage a big increase in renewable heat, including in homes and other buildings.

Other measures include:

:: Improving renewable energy access to the transmission grid.

:: Exploiting the full potential of energy from waste by considering further restrictions on landfilling biomass.

Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "If the Government actually means it this time then Britain will become a better, safer and more prosperous country. We could create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and use less gas, and in the long run our power bills will come down. But it won't happen without real Government action.

"Although this is a consultation to discuss options, it's already clear what ministers need to do. For a start they have to get serious about cutting out energy waste with smarter and better appliances, buildings and cars, and put a proper support policy in place to guarantee a good price for green electricity.

"Key to making this vision a reality is helping UK industry position itself to secure investment, profits and jobs from supplying the parts and expertise to build it all."

Ruth Davis, head of climate change policy at the RSPB, said: "Ministers are starting to recognise the dangers of easy solutions such as biofuels and have produced a plan to build wind farms and other renewable projects in the right places.

"But the Government must also accept that the biofuel production without environmental harm may still be a long way off.

"The RSPB is urging the Government to accept that reducing energy use is the cheapest and most effective way of cutting emissions.

"Government support for research and development, and for new green businesses must be drastically increased. Renewables industries are thriving in Germany where thousands of jobs have been created as a result. The UK has no choice but to follow this lead."

Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Robin Webster said: "The Government's thinking on renewable energy has been stuck in the slow lane for too long - this consultation indicates they are ready to shift up a gear.

"The Government is asking all the right questions about how to kick start a renewable energy revolution - but there are worrying gaps in their plans to deliver it.

"We are calling on ministers to end attempts to wriggle out of European green energy targets and get on with leading Britain to a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future.

"Meeting the European targets is a challenge, but it's also a huge opportunity to build a thriving renewable energy industry that will bring billions of pounds, hundreds of thousands of jobs and a clean and secure energy supply to the UK.

"It is the only route to a secure low carbon future in an era of spiralling oil prices and dangerous climate challenge."