The Lib Dem Manifesto on Renewables

The last in our series of posts on the parties’ manifestos, today concentrating on the Lib Dems.

‘Climate change is the greatest challenge facing this generation. Liberal Democrats are unwavering in our commitment: runaway climate change must be stopped, and politicians must follow the science in order to make that happen.’

Unlike the other two main parties, the Lib Dems do not have a specific section in their manifesto on the environment – rather, every policy area contains a number of related commitments on the environment flagged up with green tabs.

Investing in Renewables.

The Lib Dems plan to invest up to £400 million in refurbishing shipyards in the North of England and Scotland to facilitate the manufacture of offshore wind turbines and other marine renewables.

They will increase the amount paid to people who install micro-generation on their property under the feed-in tariff compared to current government plans, giving an increased incentive for people to place small wind turbines and solar panels on their property.

The Lib Dems propose a similar financial facility to the Green Investment Banks planned by the other two parties, except with a broader remit. Their UK Investment Bank would provide finance to facilitate the transition to a green economy, while allowing both big investors and ordinary people to put money into long-term infrastructure project.

In addition to the above, the Lib Dems also pledge to refocus more government spending to expand the market for green technologies.

Planning for the Future

The Lib Dems will set a target for 40% of our electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 2020, rising to 100% by 2050. At least three quarters of this new renewable energy will come from marine and offshore sources.

They will set out a clear renewables routemap to meet their 2050 target, and implement a smart grid to facilitate this. This smart grid will be used to integrate renewable technologies into an eventual European Supergrid.