Imagine a world where the wind blows freely, our energy comes from natural sources and we’re not at the mercy of gas and oil giants. No longer wrestling with rising costs and polluting energy.
Our research shows there’s huge potential to release the immense power of the sun and wind at onshore sites across England and generate 13 times more renewable energy than we currently do from onshore wind and solar.
Now that the government has lifted barriers to onshore wind production in England, we now need to see our renewable energy potential utilised.
Renewable energy potential in England
We teamed up with researchers at the University of Exeter to identify the land that could be most suitable for new onshore renewable energy in England. Use this map to find out which key areas could generate the most energy to power our renewable future.
You can also view the renewable energy potential map on its own.
Investing in renewables - potential benefits
More energy than we need
We could power a huge number of homes if we invest in our onshore renewable energy. There are 25 million households in England, but we could generate enough energy for 83 million. We'd also gain protection from sky rocketing bills and end our reliance on expensive fossil fuels.
Using minimal land
If fully developed, which isn’t something we’re advocating for, just 2.9% of land in England would be needed. This excludes many types of land such as national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, buildings, and areas near roads. The point is, investing in onshore renewables will take up less land than you might think.
Smashing renewable energy targets
The UK is off-track to meet its target to more than triple offshore wind by 2030. So if the UK is to produce the cheap, green electricity we need by 2030, we also need to remove the restrictions on onshore renewable energy, and quickly.
Clean green power
If this capacity was fully developed, which we're not calling for, we’d benefit from:
- More than 13 times the current onshore wind and solar electricity generation across England.
- More than 2.5 times the electricity currently consumed by homes.
- The UK would not only have the potential to easily meet its own energy needs, but it could also become a green energy superpower exporting clean, cheap, green electricity to other countries.
Essentially, we can generate far more renewable energy than we need and smash our targets just from onshore resources alone. But, shockingly, new onshore wind farms are restricted in England.
How reliable are renewables?
Release our wind
The evidence is clear. We must expand our use of renewables. We need to put measures in place to ensure new generating capacity is built.
A future free from fossil fuel emissions is within our grasp. Where almost all our energy in the UK comes from clean, climate-friendly sources. In doing so, not only will we meet our need for clean energy, but it'll help us meet our target to reduce climate emissions by 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
So let’s allow nature to do its thing and harness the power of cheap, homegrown renewable energy to bring down our bills and cut emissions.
