Help the Renewable Energy Revolution!
Update 11 Sept 2020. Some more good news! There are now over 200 MPs backing the Local Electricity Bill, with nearly half of them Conservatives, and yesterday Good Energy publicly backed the Bill too. This is a big moment as they’re the first licensed energy utility to do so. So the chances of being able to push the Bill through into law are looking stronger than ever.
We estimate we’ll need around 400 MPs to ensure the Bill is enacted. Please share this page on social media, write to your MP and tell your friends about it!
Update: 16 June 2020. Good news! The Local Electricity Bill was successfully re-introduced into Parliament on 10 June.
We now have 188 MPs supporting the Bill. There is still a long way to go as we need well over half the House of Commons, i.e. well over 325 MPs, if we are to win and see the Bill enacted. Check back for more action soon!
UK Energy Policy is blocking the growth of renewables just when we need them to give them all the help we can.
Our friends at Power for People have drafted the Local Electricity Bill. If made law it would give community-scale renewable energy a massive boost by enabling local generators to sell their energy to local people.
This Bill is to be re-introduced as a Ten Minute Rule Bill by Peter Aldous MP on Wednesday 10 June straight after Prime Minister’s Questions. 150 MPs (cross-party) now back the Bill and this is a great opportunity to build more support. Green Christian want more MPs to support Bill and have written to backbench MPs asking them to do so.
We are sure your MP would like to hear from you too! Please use any of the information in our letter below, or on the Power for People website.
You can find if your MP has signed the letter, and how to contact them if not, here.
Dear [MP salutation]
Green Christian exists to inspire Christians to be involved in addressing the ecological crisis and living gently on the earth. One way in which we do this is peaceful campaigning.
We are supportive of renewable energy, especially community-scale renewable energy as it both helps local communities and their economies and increases distributed renewable energy generation – something that is acutely needed if the UK is to meet its climate targets.
However, the potential for much more renewable generation to be built in local communities, for example on church roofs and other community buildings is being blocked by the fact that communities that generate local energy are unable to sell it directly to local people and local businesses because of the huge costs involved in doing so.
These costs exist primarily because of the energy market structure that was set up in the early 1990s. But the new potential of large amounts of distributed renewable energy generation at community level has made this old structure in need of reform.
That is why we are actively supporting a reasonable and practical solution: the Local Electricity Bill. If made law it would give OFGEM the duty to create a Right to Local Supply that ensured that new community energy companies face setup and running costs proportionate to the scale of their business. This would allow them to be financially viable and thus unleash their potential across the country.
I enclose a copy of the Bill, to be re-introduced as a Ten Minute Rule Bill by Peter Aldous MP on Tuesday 28th April (NB this is the letter we sent in April – the debate is now 10 June). Could you please attend the debate and do all you can to support it? Please let Steve Shaw, who is co-ordinating the national campaign, know of your support at steve.shaw@powerforpeople.org.uk. Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Deborah Tomkins, George Dow
Co-Chairs
Comments on "Help the Renewable Energy Revolution!"
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