Labour told to 'take on net zero nimbys' to help lower bills

Greening the economy has the potential to lower bills across the country, but clean power projects tend to happen in richer, older areas and can face opposition, the Resolution Foundation warned today.

Victoria Seabrook

Climate reporter @SeabrookClimate

Monday 22 July 2024 14:29, UK

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The new government should roll up its sleeves and take on "net zero nimbys" if it wants to green the UK's power and economy, a thinktank has said.

The raft of new cables, pylons and renewable energy projects needed to power the switch to clean energy is "likely to face fierce resistance from local groups", the Resolution Foundation said today.

Overcoming this opposition is crucial to ensuring "things actually get built" so that all parts of the country can enjoy the benefits, such as lower electricity bills, it added.

Jonny Marshall, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: "Doing this effectively will require overcoming opposition to development from net zero nimbys, who often live in wealthier parts of the country.

"The government must be prepared to win these battles, which won't be popular with some voters, but are vital for the country as a whole."

Areas with more clean energy infrastructure - such as battery storage, onshore wind and solar farms - all tend to be in areas with richer, older residents, the thinktank said, with almost two-thirds of proposed solar projects in the richest 40% of neighbourhoods.

In its first few weeks in office, Labour has lifted a de facto ban on onshore wind, approved three new solar farms and started on easing planning rules - to the consternation of MPs such as Conservative Alicia Kearns in constituencies that will host some projects.

On Thursday Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the biggest threat to rural communities was "not solar panels... but the climate crisis" - which is what the transition to green energy is designed to tackle.

The UK has already cut emissions by 53%, but is off track for its next target of a 68% cut by 2030, the country's climate advisers warned last week.

Progress so far has largely come from ditching coal and ramping up offshore wind - changes barely visible in most everyday lives.

The next step requires an explosion in infrastructure around the country to generate, transport and store electricity, with financial incentives mooted for host communities. The foundation warned of the risk of poorer communities footing the bill for those incentives paid out in richer areas.

As well as a further huge increase in clean power, the next step also requires a mass switch from fossil fuel technology such as boilers and petrol cars to clean tech like heat pumps and electric cars.

The clean counterparts are often cheaper over their lifetime, but their high upfront costs can prohibit poorer households from investing in them.

The thinktank said the government must "offer grants to specifically help poorer households over this affordability barrier" - warning that previous schemes such as the Green Homes Grant have "failed" to do so.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: "We are wasting no time in implementing the bold climate and energy plan needed to deliver our mission for greater energy independence."

They added: "It is also important we listen to people's concerns, and where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should benefit directly from it".

Its upcoming Warm Homes Plan will include support for heat pumps, solar panels and batteries and upgrade millions of homes, they said.

Green Party MP Adrian Ramsay is resisting plans for new pylons in his East Anglian constituency of Waveney Valley, which would transport electricity from offshore windfarms to homes onshore, despite his party calling for the most ambitious decarbonisation targets.

He has been criticised for raising questions about what the National Grid calls "vital infrastructure", inducing Torsten Bell, former Resolution Foundation and now newly elected Labour MP.

"You can be pro-net zero or pro-zero building but not both," he wrote on X last week.

A Green Party spokesperson said in switching to clean energy, it is "vital that we take communities with us, and that is what Adrian is trying to achieve, by helping to make sure all voices in the community are heard in the public consultation and all the options are properly considered".

They added: "This has been misrepresented as Greens opposing renewable energy or the necessary infrastructure. That is completely wrong.

"Adrian has spent most of his professional career supporting renewable energy, including advocating for grid upgrades."

Labour told to 'take on net zero nimbys' to help lower bills

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