BWEA pre-election Manifesto: renewables industry calls for 2020 action

The publication of the manifesto, advocating a ‘decisive push forward’, follows the latest wind energy deployment statistics showing that the UK wind energy installation rate has topped 1GW for the first time in a calendar year.

Maria McCaffery, BWEA Chief Executive, said: "We have consulted our members extensively on what measures are needed to reach UK’s 2020 targets, and we have produced the most comprehensive and constructive set of proposals yet on how to enable the renewable industry to fulfil its potential. Policy makers from all parties would be well advised to have a read."

The 32 page document singles out four key areas of concern: finance, planning, skills and supply chain and grid. It offers a range of solutions for each technology (onshore, offshore, wave and tidal, and small wind systems), including specific actions on reforming Ofgem to speed up grid connections, proposals on community benefits and a call for a Government backed retail investment scheme.

"The BWEA Manifesto offers not just a full-bodied and candid description of challenges facing the industry, but it addresses them one by one, offering realistic, achievable and eminently viable solutions. In 2009 the industry delivered over 1GW of capacity, sufficient to power 600,000 homes. We now have over 4GW of capacity installed, another 9.3GW in the pipeline and 9.4GW in planning – and this is not including the latest round of offshore developments. Given that our national target for 2020 is 30GW of wind, and 1 to 2GW of wave and tidal, we now need one final and decisive push forward to put our industry on a sound footing," concluded McCaffery.

www.bwea.com