UK Plans to cut red tape stalling micro power generation
Source: Reuters /April 4, 2007
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/04/05/10116002.html
London: The British government published plans yesterday to rip the red tape out of home electricity generation such as wind and solar power to help householders play their part in the fight against global warming. The Department for Communities and Local Government’s consultation document proposed changes to short circuit planning regulations that currently make actions like installing a rooftop wind turbine a bureaucratic quagmire.
“Our proposals give people greater freedom to install microgeneration devices such as solar panels on their homes where it is clear there is little or no impact on neighbouring properties,” said local government minister Ruth Kelly.
“These green technologies can help keep fuel bills down and can even allow households to earn a small amount by selling excess electricity to the grid,” she told a meeting on climate change organised by the Green Alliance lobby group.
Kelly said homes accounted for about one quarter of national emissions of climate warming carbon gases, but research showed that by 2050 microgeneration could help cut domestic carbon emissions by some 15 per cent. Consultations close on June 27, and the aim is to institute the planning changes by October 1.
Environment Secretary David Miliband said earlier this month the rules would be changed to “make it as easy to install a wind turbine as a satellite dish”.
Legal target
Later this year, the government will bring forward a Bill setting a legal target of cutting national carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050. At present barely four percent of Britain’s electricity comes from renewable sources like wind and solar, but the government wants to boost this to 20 per cent by 2020. Part of that will involve turning homes into little power stations with technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, ground source heat pumps and combined heat and power plants.
Scientists predict that global average temperatures will rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century, mainly due to burning fossil fuels for power and transport, putting millions of lives at risk from floods, famines and storms. Kelly told the meeting that local as well as national authorities had a pivotal role to play in the battle against global warming through greening their own activities.