There is still a huge amount to do to win public support for renewable energy, Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, warned this week.
Speaking at the annual parliamentary reception of the British Wind Energy Association in London, on Wednesday, January 26 2010, he said: We have to use the years ahead to fight for this industry, not just because it is in our environmental interest and security interest, but is in our economic interest as well.
Mr Miliband explained that he felt that over the past year the government had tried to move the agenda on as far as government is concerned on grid access, on planning, on the European Investment Bank, on the renewables obligation banding, because I think we recognise the urgency.
He added: Nobody should be under any illusions of the scale of the challenge facing us to increase six-fold the amount of renewable energy in this country.
The Secretary of State recalled that he was recently talking to Bernie Bulkin, the new chair of the Office of Renewable Energy Deployment, and explained: He was remarking both on the scale of the challenge and the need for a clear plan of delivery and so we will take very seriously the need not to rest on our laurels from what has happened over the past year but to push forward and do more.
And, Mr Miliband gave an assurance that the department is not going to take its foot off the accelerator, but is "going to power forward" and future plans include a document at the time of the Budget looking at pathways and policy instruments to reach 2050 in terms of renewable energy and low carbon energy.
Public
Turning in more detail to the issue of public support, he said: The argument that we have to make to people is that this is not just an environmental revolution we are talking about, it is an economic revolution as well. And, if we want the low carbon jobs, we want the low carbon generation.
It is in part about government learning lessons, because Germany and Denmark and others were first movers in onshore wind and we are trying to do the same in offshore wind. But it is also about an argument to the public about the fact that we need this renewable energy and if we are thinking about battles ahead I don't think that argument is won.
I don't think the 10-15% who care passionately about climate change in this country have yet been joined by a large enough set of people who think this is in our environmental and economic interests.
Emphasising the positive part of this agenda is absolutely essential, Mr Miliband added, "because our renewable energy targets are so stretching and because they require higher prices from people and because they require our countryside to change, I think none of this is in the bag.
So, what I would end on is to thank BWEA but I feel like together we have to use the years ahead to fight for this industry, not just because it is in our environmental interest, security interest is in our economic interest as well.
Renewable UK
BWEA chief executive Maria McCaffery thanked the Secretary of State for coming to the reception. Looking ahead, she said that in a month's time BWEA would become RenewableUK.
Ms McCaffery added: "The move to reflect this in our name is long overdue, change of name is about better reflecting the scale of the challenge and the opportunity that Britain faces over the UK. Over the next 10 years one third of our generating capacity is going to be permanently decommissioned and we face the choice do we simply replace it or seize with both hands the opportunity to transform it.