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Ministers and councils must focus on community-scale energy-creation schemes, if the UK is to meet its target to produce 15% of its power from renewable sources by 2020, an influential pressure group has warned. A report by Friends of the Earth, published on 26 July, claims the UK has made discernible progress on large-scale renewable energy-generation schemes, such as offshore wind farms, and small-scale programmes such as solar panels in homes. But the study urges ministers and councils to renew their focus on the crucial community-level programmes which are currently being overlooked. It calls on central and local government to: • agree CO2 ‘caps' and low carbon ‘budgets' within council boundaries • improve the energy efficiency of local transport systems • publish ambitious strategies for green energy production A system of financial ‘incentives' should be used to encourage councils and their partners to achieve new investment levels for green energy, Friends of the Earth claims. To achieve this, the study recommends scrapping the Renewables Obligation and replacing it with a feed-in tariff (FIT) – commitments by utilities firms, for example, to buy more green energy – that delivers a ‘more certain return'. Councils have developed a reputation as leaders in environmental policy, particularly around issues such as climate change and emissions reduction – which was acknowledged by the group. Tony Bosworth, Friends of the Earth climate campaigner, said: ‘Local authorities are key to effectively tackling climate change – and are best placed to deliver community-scale green electricity schemes that will help us meet targets, as well as create jobs and slash fuel bills.'

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WHITEHALL

Put focus on green energy, sector told

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