A new report has urged the next government to build out the UK grid more quickly, reform the electricity market and boost green jobs.
“At a Crossroads – Pathway to a Net Zero Future” – is being published today by the Mission Zero Coalition, which is chaired by former energy minister Chris Skidmore, on the fifth anniversary of net zero being signed into law.
It sets out what needs to happen over the next five years to keep the UK’s net zero ambitions on track.
The report calls for an efficient and democratic planning consent process which encourages good quality applications across renewable technologies which make the best, most efficient use of the land available, as well as promoting community engagement and community benefits.
The report suggests that new local civic assemblies could be set up to work together with developers to address any concerns about the impact of projects and highlights the fact that planning departments are under-resourced, so they are unable to make decisions in a timely manner.
It also recommends a more strategic approach to building an electricity system which reduces constraints, to balance supply and demand at a minimal cost to consumers.
For example, co-locating wind and solar farms alongside battery storage projects can play an important role in managing the variability of renewables to the benefit of billpayers, so new policies are needed to incentivise this.
Reforming the UK’s electricity market to recognise the value of these projects would enable more of them to go ahead, advising an evolutionary approach to maintain the confidence of international investors.
Consultations should be held on how to modernise the Contracts for Difference scheme to enable consistent volumes of renewables to be deployed year on year.
The report also highlights the importance of maintaining a sufficient flow of skilled and specialised workers in areas such as electrical engineering, and manufacturing in our offshore wind supply chain, citing National Grid statistics which show that a workforce of over 400,000 people will need to be recruited to a net zero energy workforce to reach the UK’s 2050 target on time.
Chris Skidmore said: “In a week’s time whoever forms the next government will need to prioritise the net zero transition further and faster than ever before if we are to meet our target of decarbonising 68% by 2030.
“The report provides a comprehensive roadmap on what needs to happen not only in the next five years, but in the next 100 days and one year.
I hope that the incoming government will use it as a template to deliver what we need to achieve to meet net zero.”
The Mission Zero Coalition arrived at its recommendations after holding workshops involving a wide range of companies and stakeholders in the energy sector from all over the country, who are supporting the conclusions of the report.