Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has rejected claims the renewables sector is under attack from the UK Government. The Conservatives have been criticised by the industry for the early closure of the Renewables Obligation (RO) subsidy amid warnings it will deter investment and risk thousands of jobs. Concerns have also been raised that ending the scheme from April – a year earlier than expected – will increase carbon emissions significantly.
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd failed to address the plight of the offshore industry in her main speech to the Tory party conference.
Renewable energy sources can “stand on their own two feet” and must become cheaper than fossil fuels before widely replacing them, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has said.
Low-carbon technology can be another string to the bow of the UK-India relationship, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said on a visit to the sub-continent.
The Government is being urged to intervene to speed up a final decision on when a new nuclear power station will be built in the UK or leave the country facing the “very real prospect” of power cuts.
I find it impossible to feel anything but raw anger towards the Westminster Conservative Government’s policy on renewables and energy policy in general. Here is a government stating on the one hand that the country has to support the “makers” and export more yet on the other effectively stamping out a globally important growth industry with huge potential. So far, Cameron & Co have scrapped or dramatically reduced support for onshore wind, solar, biomass, the Green Homes scheme, is selling the Green Investment Bank, has done away with the policy of building Zero Carbon Homes, reduced the incentive to move to lower emission vehicles and, of course, decided that the Climate Change Levy, which had been restricted to providers of non-renewable energy to businesses, will be imposed on renewable energy providers as well.
Taking action on climate change is the “ultimate insurance policy” to protect UK families and businesses, Amber Rudd will say. In her first major speech on tackling global warming, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary will say measures to curb rising temperatures are about ensuring economic security. She will tell business leaders at an event in the City of London that unchecked climate change would have a profound economic impact, leading to lower growth, higher prices and a lower quality of life. And, after a series of announcements of cuts to green policies, she will insist that the Conservatives are committed to taking action on climate change, in ways that will keep bills down and encourage businesses to innovate, grow and create jobs.
Solar energy subsidies will be cut under plans set out by Energy Secretary Amber Rudd which she claimed would reduce household bills. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is consulting on plans that would see subsidies for some small-scale new solar farms close by 2016. Ms Rudd said the renewable energy industry could not be given a “blank cheque” and the level of subsidies should be reduced because of a fall in the cost of delivering solar power.
The onshore wind industry faces great uncertainty following the announcement by energy and climate change secretary Amber Rudd that its place in the so-called Renewables Obligation will end in 2016.
Nearly 150 Scottish windfarms may not go ahead because of the UK Government’s decision to stop subsidising new schemes from next April, it was claimed yesterday.
UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has been urged to meet green energy developers in Scotland after the Westminster Government scrapped a subsidies scheme for onshore wind farms. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already branded the move “wrong-headed, perverse and downright outrageous“, while Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing claims it is “irrational“ and “deeply regrettable“.