From the Times of London:Opposition to wind farms should become as socially unacceptable as failing to wear a seatbelt, Ed Miliband, the climate change secretary, has said.
Speaking at a screening in London of the climate change documentary The Age of Stupid, Miliband said the government needed to be stronger in facing down local opposition to wind farms.
He said: "The government needs to be saying, 'It is socially unacceptable to be against wind turbines in your area - like not wearing your seatbelt or driving past a zebra crossing'."
Wind power is crucial to government attempts to meet an EU target of producing 20% of all energy through renewables by 2020, but plans to build some 4,000 onshore wind turbines are being opposed by more than 200 anti-wind farm groups....MORE
ENERGY COMPANIES have warned the government that unless they get £2 billion in “immediate” state aid several offshore wind farms will be scrapped – and this would leave Whitehall’s pollution-reduction targets in tatters.
Companies have put off giving the green light to several big projects, such as the £3 billion London Array in the Thames estuary and Npower’s £2.2 billion Gwint y Mor farm off the coast of Wales, until the government decides whether it will stump up more cash to offset building costs that have doubled in the past three years....
...The energy industry has made three suggestions to the government. One would be to double the per-megawatt subsidy – so-called renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) – that offshore wind receives. Increasing the subsidy from one ROC per megawatt to two would triple the revenue that power companies collect for wholesale electricity. The second suggestion would allow for direct aid through government grants or tax breaks on construction costs.
The third would be to distribute the cost of building the offshore grid – expected to be about £10 billion – among all power companies, whether they have offshore farms or not.
The energy industry wants clarity soon....MORE
