Legislation News

Thursday 22 January 2009

Peter Ainsworth, the former Conservative environment spokesman, introduced the Green Energy Bill with cross-party support

A Conservative MP is attempting to cut out the red tape for microgeneration by introducing a Bill to Parliament designed to promote small scale energy production and energy efficiency measures.

Introduced yesterday as a Private Members Bill by former Conservative environment spokesman Peter Ainsworth, the Green Energy [Definition and Promotion] Bill, aims to improve the planning process and make installing small-scale electricity and heat generation easier and more economically viable.

The Bill, which has cross-party support, hopes to remove "bureaucratic blockages" in the planning system, such as the need for farmers to apply for planning consent to build wind turbines on agricultural land, and to implement feed-in tariffs.

And, it removes the potential for higher Council Tax or business rates for buildings which have increased in value due to energy saving measures.

Mr Ainsworth, said: "This Bill will be a major step towards decentralised energy, bring power, literally, to the people. By making it easier for people to create their own energy and profit from it, we can lower energy cost, encourage investment in a green economy and create jobs.

"This Bill is about making a fundamental shift in the way Britain produces its energy, away from the model of centralised power that ruins the environment to a model that makes homes and businesses less dependent on foreign fossil fuels," he added.

Due to be published on the UK Parliament website later today, the Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons yesterday, with a second reading planned for the beginning of May.

Dave Sowden, chief executive of the Micropower Council, said: "Consumers want to play their part in tackling climate change but red tape and a lack of coherent consumer friendly incentives are severely hampering the development of a citizen-led energy democracy.

"Microgeneration can play a significant role in reducing energy bills, cutting carbon emissions and in some cases relieving fuel poverty," he added.

Green Energy Bill

With the overarching aim of promoting onsite renewable heat and electricity, the Bill focuses on three main areas, revising the government's Microgeneration Strategy, reforming planning law, and securing an exemption from higher Council Tax for buildings with energy generating or saving measures.

The revision of the Microgeneration Strategy is chiefly concerned with implementing feed-in tariffs for small scale electricity production and promoting microgeneration in the existing housing stock.

The Bill is also looking to reform planning laws for small scale power generation, particularly for those projects that are on agricultural land or for local consumption.

It seeks to remove the necessity for planning permission for farmers wishing to use their land for renewable energy generation, a move which is backed by the National Farmers' Union.

And it looks to make the planning process easier for households or businesses that want to install small wind turbines and air source heat pumps.

Finally, the Bill hopes to negate the worry of higher Council Tax or rates for households and businesses that have had energy improvements made, thus increasing the value of the property.

Advocates of the Bill says that this legislation, if passed, will contribute to the UK's energy diversity, as well as creating a healthy microgeneration industry which is currently under pressure in the economic downturn.

David Gordon, chief executive of Windsave, a Glasgow-based firm that makes small wind turbines: "We are suffering, and investment and jobs are in danger because thousands of installations that could be saving carbon and cutting fuel bills remain bound up in planning red tape.

He continued: "What is most frustrating is that the Government is simply ignoring us. A quick resolution of this is essential if the industry is not to suffer irreparable damage."