Record renewable generation disproves Cameron’s attack on onshore wind

Figures from the latest Energy Trends report by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that 18% of electricity was produced from renewable sources in the third quarter of 2014 - a 4% increase on last year.


Electricity generated from onshore wind increased by 7.7% while generation from offshore wind was up by 14.1%.

In light of these figures, clean energy trade association RenewableUK claims that David Cameron was wrong to attack onshore wind earlier this week, when he claimed that the public was “fed up” with onshore windfarms and said the country did not need any more subsidised turbines on land now that the energy source was capable of providing 10% of UK energy.

RenewableUK’s director of external affairs Jennifer Webber said: “Electricity generated from renewables – up again. Clean power provided by wind for British homes – up again. No wonder two-thirds of the public repeatedly tell every independent polling organisation from YouGov to Ipsos MORI that they support wind energy, and a majority of people want to see more onshore wind farms built near them.

“Their understanding of the importance of generating clean power from home-grown sources stands in sharp contrast to the misguided and quite frankly ignorant comments by the Prime Minister earlier this week, when he wrongly suggested that people are fed up with wind.”

Less energy

According to a BBC article, the average person in the UK uses 10% less electricity than five years ago because EU standards on household appliances have allowed people to do the same tasks using less energy.

The BBC reported: “… businesses have also been persuaded by government sticks and carrots to save energy, so their consumption overall is down – even taking into account the state of the economy and the annual temperature, which drives demand for heating.”

The article also quotes Greg Shreeve from the Energy Saving Trust who analysed the DECC data to produce the figures on individual consumption for BBC News. He said: “This demonstrates how well designed and targeted regulation can have a significant impact on our energy consumption.

“Investment in energy efficiency can lead to much wider economic benefits such as job creation and even improved health.”

Lois Vallely

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