It has been unveiled that there has been major growth in the UK’s renewable electricity sector, with capacity more than doubling since the Liberal Democrats have been in government. 15% of British electricity is now coming from renewables, enough to power over 10 million homes, and there has been over £34 billion of private sector investment, with the potential support of almost 37,000 jobs. What’s more, this growth has meant the cost of some renewable technologies, such as onshore wind and solar power, has fallen.

The Liberal Democrats are setting out proposals to maintain the growing momentum behind renewable electricity investment in the UK, while continuing to deliver value for money for consumers. These proposals will ensure a smooth transition to Electricity Market Reform that will secure the further investment needed.

Solar power plays a large role in greener energy, and with the UK’s capacity, it can power up to 620,000 homes. The Liberal Democrats are setting out actions in partnership with the industry so that solar power continues to grow.

To ensure that communities are benefitting from renewables projects, support will be offered through the Feed In Tariffs Scheme. This will involve consultation on the possibility of increasing maximum capacity for community anaerobic digestion, onshore wind and solar power projects, and whether more can be done.

The Electricity Market Reform will involve the budget for these proposals being divided into two groups – established technologies and less established technologies. The appropriate grouping depends on the maturity of the technology and the impact it will have on decarbonisation. This will ensure that consumers do not have to pay more for mature technologies that need less support and that the technologies are making a difference to climate change.