Trade body Scottish Renewables has released its manifesto ahead of the General Election, calling on the next UK government to take action to boost the growth of the UK renewable industry.
The manifesto sets out several recommendations for the next government, including modernising the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, prioritising infrastructure development for net zero, scaling up supply chains and green skills and providing policy certainty to incentivise green investment.
Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Whoever forms the next UK government will have no time to waste if it is to commit to accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and must set out clearly how it will fully unlock the huge social and economic potential of our renewable energy resources.
“Otherwise, we will lose ground in the global race to net zero that we can never win back.
“Now is the time to build upon our successes and enable a multi-decade pipeline which will bolster our energy security, create thousands of high-value jobs, boost the competitiveness of our supply chains and deliver affordable, clean energy for billpayers.
Scotland values renewable energy
Alongside the manifesto, Scottish Renewables also released the results of a poll it had commissioned. The results revealed that people in the north-east of Scotland, an area that Mack dubbed “the energy capital of Europe,” strongly value the importance of renewable energy to the economic strength of the area.
In answer to the question ‘Which of the following sectors do you think is the most important to the economic future of North East Scotland?’, 38% said they think renewable energy is most important. This is compared to 11% who believed agriculture was most important, 7% who said fishing, and 5% who answered tourism. However, 34% of people believed that oil and gas was the most important sector for the economy of north-east Scotland.
In response, Mack noted: “Our latest polling shows that voters in the north-east of Scotland, the energy capital of Europe for generations, clearly believe that renewable energy is the most important sector to their economic future.
“In the crucial months and years ahead, we must attract the investment, deliver the infrastructure and support the innovation that holds the keys to a prosperous future.
“Scotland’s renewable energy industry stands ready to work with whoever forms the next UKgovernment to deliver the ambitious action outlined in our manifesto which is needed to seize the era-defining opportunities of renewable energy.”
The industry lays out its demands
With the 4 July General Election rapidly approaching, the clean energy industry has been vocal in its demands for the next government.
Last week, EDF Energy released its own manifesto for the next government, pressing the government to “enable investment in low carbon technologies, support job creation in the sector and facilitate a competitive retail market that is affordable for UK businesses and consumers,” as well as calling for the urgent introduction of a government-funded social energy tariff to support those in need of financial support with energy bills.
Meanwhile, RenewableUK Cymru has asked the incoming UK government to establish a “four nations taskforce” between the governments of the devolved nations and the green power industry to streamline the development of renewable infrastructure across the UK.
The Energy Networks Association (ENA) has also urged that the next government streamline policy and planning and create a stable policy and regulatory environment for renewable energy implementation.
Electric vehicle (EV) trade association ChargeUK has issued its own demands for EV charger rollout to be prioritised, adding “we ask that all political parties commit to work with the sector to accelerate rollout, support investment and make the UK the best place in the world to drive and charge an EV”.
