Sunak’s stop-start policies are hurting UK green investments, says Net Zero Kaiser | Renewable energy

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Rishi Sunak has been criticized by the net tsar, who said the UK risked missing out on its green targets over inconsistent policies and failure to stick to pledges.

In his report on Net Zero, seen by the Guardian, Chris Skidmore said a big barrier to renewables is mistrust of the government, which has inconsistent support for green energy policy, with measures such as Sunak’s new electricity tax.

Skidmore, the Conservative MP for Kingswood, has asked former Prime Minister Liz Truss to write a policy review of getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. He has been asked to find out what works with the policy in terms of not putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the kingdom absorbs United States, and to submit a feasibility study for the target.

One of the issues mentioned in the report is the lack of policy commitment. “The overwhelming impression I got was that we would make net zero affordable if we were able to deliver more and faster, which requires certainty and consistency of approach,” Skidmore said. “We need to get rid of investment in risk, which will actually lower net zero costs, And if the recommendations made in my review are followed, we will create incentives to invest in renewables.

“The review recognizes that we have fallen behind, but it shows how we can be world leaders in these areas again. We need to remove the barriers that exist right now.”

“Sudden policy changes such as the introduction of a generator tax, which began at the beginning of this year, have put investment at risk,” said Dan McGrill, chief executive of trade body RenewableUK.

“Skidmore is right to demand that stop-and-start policies replace certainty for investors,” said Chris Hewitt, chief executive of the UK solar trade union.

Skidmore cited agriculture as a major emitter of carbon emissions and said its share of emissions could grow by 2030 from 12% to 30%. To encourage people to eat more environmentally friendly foods, Skidmore recommended “eco-labelling” rather than a tax or ban on foods such as red meat.

He also said that farmers had been discouraged from farming green because of confusion over green government payments post-Brexit, and that there were missed opportunities for nature-based solutions with most policies focusing on woodlands and peatlands. rather than many other carbon sinks such as wetlands.

In the review, Skidmore called for a stable political environment, with consistent support for renewables, as well as reforming the way the government financially helps renewable energy projects to make that more attractive to investors.

But climate activists have criticized the review for being unambitious and for not calling for strong policies to avert the climate crisis.

Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: “While there is plenty of useful analysis of the problem, the review stops short of recommending the kind of muscular policies that would drive change towards the explosive growth in renewables that would be necessary.

“Without a strong push from the government, the renewables revolution will continue, because economic logic dictates it. But it will not happen as quickly as it needs to in order to prevent some of the worst effects of climate change.”

While the review notes that the UK needs a “rooftop revolution” for solar panels and suggests planning decisions be made easier to enable this, it stops short of recommending solar panel mandates in new buildings, or more funding to encourage uptake.

Barr added: “All credible scenarios for our future economy depend on renewable energy being the backbone of the future energy system, and the review should have stated that the government needed to change the jurisdiction of the regulator to include net zero delivery, and to insist that solar panels be on new roofs, Scale renewable energy contracts and quickly locate the offshore power grid. Instead, the government seems somewhat of a curious bystander, wondering why their aspirations can’t be realized without stepping in to make them happen.”

The renewable energy industry has initially welcomed the review, with industry leaders saying it contains good ideas that should be embraced by the government.

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McGrail said: “If the government is looking to increase the economic benefits of the UK’s decarbonization ambitions, Chris Skidmore’s review has some really clear easy wins. As he suggests, setting targets for new onshore wind and solar will certainly increase investor confidence, as well as Ensuring that we can decarbonize our electricity system by 2035.”

He also praised Skidmore for promoting the use of “a wide range of renewable energy sources to enhance Britain’s energy security, including innovative technologies such as floating wind and tidal currents”.

He said he would have liked the review to have asked the government to take a “war room” approach to addressing networking, “with the prime minister bringing together all relevant bodies to address this urgently”.

Hewitt said: “We very much hope Whitehall will take up his call to set up a joint working group with the solar industry to work on a roadmap to reach 70GW of solar capacity.” [capacity] By 2035 – about four and a half times what we have now.

“This group’s number one priority should be unblocking access to the network – something that is holding back the completion of many large projects way back in the next decade.”

Polly Billington, chief executive of the UK100 group of local government leaders, said the review showed local authorities must play a leading role in policy implementation. “This independent review confirms what UK100 has said for years: local authorities are key to achieving the UK’s net zero targets,” she said.

“[We particularly welcome] Recommending an end to the disjointed mess of short-term competitive local authority funding slabs. This move will help communities maximize the economic and social benefits of net zero with the most cost-effective use of resources.”

Ed Miliband, shadow climate secretary, said: “Another day, another Conservative MP called out the utter failure of this government over many years to act with the urgency and consistency that the climate crisis demands. Chris Skidmore is right about the fact that 13 years of delay, indecision and refusal to engage The green energy race under the Conservatives is denying our country the economic opportunities that climate action provides.

“The tragedy is that Rishi Sunak is making matters worse. He is the fossil fuel prime minister of a renewed era and he never understood what this report reaffirms – that going green is pro-business and pro-workers and a vital part of the development of our economy.”

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been contacted for comment.

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