Wigan is embracing green energy sources, new figures show

Tens of thousands of megawatts per hour of renewable energy were produced in Wigan last year, figures show, as the Prime Minister pledges a green industrial revolution across the UK.

Boris Johnson said earlier this month that the coronavirus crisis should serve as a catalyst to make the UK the world leader in offshore wind power generation, creating thousands of jobs in the process.

But with the plans focusing largely on offshore wind farms, the Solar Trade Association (STA) said solar energy has a significant role to play, and was “noticeably absent” from the speech.

Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show 32,903 megawatts per hour (around 33 gigawatts) of renewable electricity were generated in Wigan in 2019: 45 per cent more energy than the 23 GWh produced in 2014, the earliest year of data available.

The biggest producer of energy in Wigan last year was solar power, which generated 18,771 MWh – 57 per cent of the total. This was followed by landfill gas, which is created by the decomposition of organic materials in a landfill (31 per cent), and sewage gas, which is created by combining sewage with bacteria – which generated a further 3,816MWh (12 per cent).

Renewable electricity generated around a third of the UK’s total energy last year (120,675 GWh) – almost double the amount in 2014. Offshore and onshore wind farms were each responsible for 27 per cent of the UK’s total, but the Government’s plan focuses largely on those in the water.

Downing Street said the £160m investment programme will enable the sector to support up to 60,000 jobs by 2030, upping the target for offshore wind from 30 to 40 gigawatts.

Behind wind farms and plant biomass facilities, solar panels were the fourth biggest generator of renewable energy in the UK last year – with 11 per cent. Photovoltaic technology, as its known, also has great support from the public, with Government polls showing 86 per cent of people support solar – the most popular form of renewable energy.

STA chief executive Chris Hewett said: “It is encouraging that the Prime Minister is embracing renewables, but this must not be limited to large bits of kit. Solar energy was noticeably absent from the speech, when it has a significant role to play in supporting a green recovery and shifting the UK towards a low-carbon economy. Today, solar technologies power more than a million homes and are vital in delivering flexible, affordable electricity and thousands of quality jobs across the country.”