It is now a year since the UK government announced plans to deliver a 95% renewable electricity mix by 2035. These plans sit front and centre of a raft of similar targets for green jobs, heating, transport and more, all demonstrating what a greener, decarbonised UK might look like.

There is a need for action not only to meet these targets but also to ensure citizens in the future benefit from that greener UK. And the alarm bell is only getting louder. Last summer alone, we witnessed record heatwaves with temperatures reaching 40°C and above, and polluted air has been found to impact 97% of households across the country.

Support for renewables is also growing. Far from displaying the NIMBY (not in my back yard) attitude that may have prevailed some years ago, 77% of UK citizens think the new government should use new wind and solar farms to reduce electricity bills, and 76% support building renewable energy projects in their local area, a recent survey found.

Yet given this backdrop, the questions remain: Is enough being done to ensure government targets can actually be met, and do they go far enough?

Recent analysis from RSK, involving senior figures from across the renewables industry, reveals some ongoing barriers to the development of renewables projects, and makes a series of recommendations on the actions needed to unlock the potential of the sector.

End grid blocking
Too many energy generation schemes that may ultimately not be viable or committed to deployment have secured a grid connection, effectively blocking access for other viable and committed schemes seeking to connect to the grid. As one industry professional put it: ‘So many projects are currently sitting in the register waiting to be developed, that aren’t going to be developed and never will be. If there was a reset of UK grid capacity, then 10–12 additional gigawatts would be available within a few weeks.’

Freeing up capacity of this order of magnitude would equate to around 20% of already installed renewable energy capacity and bring those connection dates from 2030 back to 2027. The recent announcement from National Grid ESO to offer amnesty to the promotors of stalled projects in order to cleanse the grid capacity register and the need to implement more effective management of the ‘queue’ for grid connections, is a welcome move. Time will tell over coming months as to how effective, initially, the amnesty proves to be and then, longer term, the queue management process too.

Streamline planning
With the planning consent process often taking years, there is considerable concern that this will hinder the UK’s progress toward meeting its green energy targets. In tandem with the above, the government needs to introduce a reset to strengthen and streamline the process in tandem with that for grid connection to enable quicker decision-making. Viable projects could then move from consent to build and finally to grid connection at the pace and scale required.

Without urgent reform, implementation will not be able to keep up with demand.

Better anticipate where renewable development may occur
Historically, the UK has sought to steer developers and local authorities to build renewable energy sites in ‘strategic search areas’ for renewable energy development. However, this has been highly variable in its effectiveness.  

Anticipating where renewable development should be built onshore can be challenging in this context, but National Grid ESO is developing a holistic network design as part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) offshore transmission network review. Based on the knowledge of where future offshore wind farms will be located, the grid network will be strengthened to allow for more connections to the grid. Building on this, National Grid ESO and other operators could surely adopt such an approach for onshore renewable technologies.

Invest in other means of support beyond subsidies and Contracts for Difference (CfD) 
Conventional subsidy schemes such as CfD have been skewed towards the more established renewable energy sectors, leaving other technologies with strong potential – marine technologies tidal or wave – out in the cold. The government could also help create demand, not necessarily via subsidies but through mandatory practice. For example, supermarket carparks could be mandated to have solar canopies installed.

We’re at a critical point. Whilst the current political turmoil throws doubt on what renewables policy will look like, certainty is nevertheless needed for the industry’s future and the country’s energy supply. Views from those across the renewables sector should help inform thinking, whatever shape the next government may be.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author only and are not necessarily given or endorsed by or on behalf of the Energy Institute.