RUK last night celebrated its 40th birthday at a party hosted in London attended by 150 guests from the renewable energy industry and government.
RenewableUK was established as the British Wind Energy Association in 1978 and now has thousands of members in the wind wave and tidal industry.
Founding member Peter Fraenkel told revellers the wind industry has overcome scepticism from the ‘energy establishment’ to cement itself as a key UK power source over the last 40 years.
“There was a general lack of belief, I think, that wind power would ever be anything which could seriously be used for powering the grid,” he told guests.
Former Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (pictured) also spoke at the event, calling on the Government to “end the prejudice in public policy against onshore wind.”
Miliband said climate change was currently not high enough “on any of the political parties’ agendas”.
Equinor senior vice president Stephen Bull trumpeted the UK’s role as a key influencer in renewables, thanks to the fact some 30% of its energy need is met from green sources.
“The UK plays an out-sized role in terms of climate policy, technology and markets. It’s is an international success story for defining a clear pathway to a low carbon economy,” he said.