RenewableUK Hands Over Wind Petition, Picnic Hamper, To UK Government Departments

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RenewableUK, one of the UK’s leading renewable energy trade energy associations, has handed over a petition signed by 3,000 supporters of small- and medium-scale wind to four UK Governmental departments.

The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills each received a copy of the signed petition, which RenewableUK says “highlights the vital role that small and medium wind plays in the rural economy.

The petition is part of the “Big 60,000” campaign by Action for Renewables, which is aimed at increasing the number of small-scale local renewable energy projects. The “60,000” represents small-scale wind energy producers — “from community energy schemes to farmers, to food producers,” Action for Renewables is seeing “more and more people … turning to wind power.”

As such, not only did the four governmental departments receive a copy of the petition, they also received a picnic hamper consisting of “wind-powered food,” including a variety of beer, cheese, eggs, and jam — “all made locally using power generated by small on-site wind turbines.” The hope is that the petition, in combination with the edible and tasty proof of small-scale wind power’s specific role for farmers and small businesses, will impact the governments involved in wind energy’s future more than a simple petition.

“Today’s action is about letting Government know that the decisions they make have a very real impact on the many thousands of people in rural Britain who now depend on a wind turbine to make a living,” said Gemma Grimes, RenewableUK’s Director of Onshore Renewables. “To these people, Ministers’ decisions affect the number of breweries, creameries and henhouses they can afford to power and so contribute to the local economy.”

The action comes following several weeks of tough governmental actions intended to cut renewable energy financial subsidies that are going to dramatically affect the renewable energy landscape of the UK.

“The upcoming Feed-In Tariff review provides an opportunity for the Government to show it supports a growing and successful industry in the heart of British rural life,” Ms. Grimes continued. “We want to see the “Big 60,000” become a reality — that means more and more people generating their own power. But this won’t happen without careful nurturing. The wishes of thousands of ordinary voters who signed this petition should not be ignored.”