Alternative energy sources needed as gas prices increase
Q: Why don’t people like onshore wind farms? A: They do! The truth is that 80 per cent of Brits support onshore wind, according to government research. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s official polling shows that support for renewable technologies is at an all-time high.
Here’s why the British public has got this right.
New wind farms are needed now more than ever. The energy crisis is a gas crisis.
The quicker we switch to renewables, the quicker we can do something about our eye-watering bills. The price of wind has remained stable. It is our cheapest energy source, typically costing about a third of what people will soon be paying for electricity.
Surging gas prices affect gas and electricity bills because a significant share of the UK’s electricity is still produced by burning fossil fuels, mainly gas. The war in Ukraine has made gas prices even more volatile, especially as Vladimir Putin is largely funding his military
Energy crisis Rising gas prices
aggression through gas sales. Prices won’t stabilise any time soon.
Our household bills are set to get even higher this October when the energy price cap – the maximum amount suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity – will go up again.
Rising bills
This will leave over 14 million people unable to pay their bills, according to Citizens Advice.
The UK Government hasn’t prioritised onshore wind in its plans for dealing with the energy crisis. Many energy experts had hoped the planning restrictions on onshore wind farms
Planning
would come to an end. Despite their popularity and affordability, this has not happened.
Onshore wind farms are one of the quickest energy projects to get up and running. If planning restrictions were removed, any energy company could buy wind turbines and install them within months.
Around 600 wind farm and solar projects across the UK are being blocked. If they went ahead, they could provide enough clean energy to replace Britain’s consumption of Russian oil within 18 months.
Wind energy is British energy! More onshore wind turbines would make us more self-sufficient. Deriving energy from renewable sources is how we increase our energy security and stop our dependence on expensive fossil fuels from countries run by ruthless dictators.
As an island positioned between the Atlantic and the North Sea, the UK has one of the best natural climates for wind farms. Of course, it’s not windy all the time. To ensure consistency and manage demand the green grid is increasingly powered by a mix of sources – like wind, solar and hydro.
Speed Our own energy Reliability