Has investment in UK alternative energy dropped.

In a recent article in the English Independent, there is a suggestion that investment in alternative energy sources is drying up.  From the report, it's incredibly clear there is a strikingly and  substantial downward trend in new investment, that is across the board in terms of investment in clean technology.  It appears projects such as massive wind farms right downwards could result in the collapse of the solar energy market.

The Heading reads:  A ‘hostile environment’ for renewables: Why has UK clean energy investment plummeted?

If you were to judge by the headlines, it could be concluded that renewable energy in England is doing exceptionally well.  Every other week there is news about wind generation overtaking from Nuclear.  Or fewer coal resources are being used for energy production. 

Yet these figures obscure a reality in which the withdrawal of government support and confusion around future investments have led to a “dramatic and worrying collapse” in green investment.

Critics say the government has created a “hostile environment” for renewable energy that scares away potential investors and prevents the UK from reaching its full potential.

The arrival of the Climate Change Act in 2008 and the subsequent rollout of electricity market reforms saw the UK become a world leader in renewables, particularly wind power.

We had a very clear policy framework from 2008 and that has been less certain in recent years,” says Emma Pinchbeck, executive director at trade association RenewableUK.

“That explains why we have had record-breaking deployment as things come online from that previous policy framework, but why now we are looking at a dropoff.”

There tends to be a lag of five to 10 years between a project being funded and it coming online, which is why we are only now experiencing the benefits of this early investment period.

Despite widespread popular support for renewables – 85 per cent, according to the latest figures – annual investment in clean energy is now at its lowest point in a decade.  Safe first should always be paramount when installing.  All installer should be trained in First Aid.  In Ireland it First Aid Responder Training.

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