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. This would generate a whopping 50 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 need to make the most of our renewable energy potential.
Renewable energy potential in England
We've identified 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 over 432 million. We'd also gain protection from sky-rocketing bills and end our reliance on expensive fossil fuels.
Smashing renewable energy targets
The UK government is seeking to grow offshore wind rapidly. But if the UK is to produce the cheap, green electricity it needs by 2030, we also need to see lots more onshore renewable energy, and quickly.
Clean green power
If this capacity was fully developed, which we're not calling for, we’d benefit from:
- 50 times the current onshore wind and solar electricity generation across England.
- More than 10 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.
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 also help us meet our target to reduce climate emissions by 68% by 2030, compared with 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.
