Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that £30 million of funding for community energy – the first tranche of Great British Energy’s £1 billion programme to grow the sector – means that “communities across every nation of the UK will soon have the chance to build and control their own clean energy supply.”
“This investment means villages, towns and cities can harness the natural resources around them with solar panels on libraries, publicly owned windfarms, hydro schemes in their rivers, or whatever else works for them” added the PM. “The purpose is to put money back in people’s pockets while giving them a direct role in tackling the climate crisis. I have long seen the green transition as the best chance we will ever have to reindustrialise Britain.”
Hundreds of community energy groups across the country have secured investment from local people for thousands of renewable energy projects. Through the Local Power Plan, published in February, the Government is seeking a major expansion of the sector, which is dominated by rooftop solar projects.
The op-ed is also the Prime Minister’s strongest statement yet on climate change.
“The climate crisis is not a distant threat” the PM said. “It is here and with us now. The British people are no longer insulated from the consequences, and they do not want to be excluded from the solutions. They are looking for ways to do their bit. Community energy gives them that chance.”
“The Prime Minister is entirely right to emphasise the role of renewable energy in confronting a warming world and high energy bills while pursuing his goal to reindustrialise Britain” added Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK. “I look forward to seeing the many projects that will flow from this vital funding going from plans to delivery, cutting public sector energy bills and freeing cash for frontline services.”
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