Chris Huhne’s annual energy statement delivered in Parliament recently set out some of the coalition’s thinking on the environment as any statement on energy inevitably does.  What was missing was information about micro energy generation which we are told will be forthcoming in the autumn.

What I personally hope the coalition will do is put into action commitments seen in manifestos that will encourage significantly more micro generation of energy – specifically at the house hold level.  If this included schemes to allow the cost of purchasing and installing photovoltaic panels to be tethered to mortgages or paid for through a monthly charge, similar to current electricity billing, it will be a great step forward. I can see attitudes to reducing the carbon footprint of homes significantly shifting, if it becomes more affordable for households to do it in a manner that reduces energy bills and energy bill fluctuations at the same time.  This could also be a great stimulus to the economy and potential green industries – including manufacturing. 

I am not a huge fan of a large and interfering state.  I do feel that under New Labour the state became more and more involved in our lives, spending more and more money.  Some of it well spent, but in other cases I think we witnessed a significant diminishing return as new investment was poured in too fast, without enough assessment of the impact it was having.  I do feel strongly that the state has a role to play in protecting the environment, especially where it can enable and encourage individuals and families to act.

I understand that micro generation has its critics and that it might be more efficient for renewable energy to be generated at large sites or even abroad, but this method would not have the added desirable effect of bringing tackling climate change into the home on such a grand scale. I also think that as a large proportion of Woking’s housing stock is all electric, Woking residents would significantly benefit from generating their own electricity. In Woking there is also the risk that large scale energy generation projects may attract public criticism rightly or wrongly, following the public perceptions of the canopy at Woking station.  It would be far better to have these projects as near to residents as possible, so the benefits can be seen firsthand.

On a local level I am not making these comments on energy generation with the Overview and Scrutiny committee in mind, as the topic of the environment is due to come up at the committee meeting in September.  With the coalition due to outline policy details on micro energy generation later than this it would not be wise for the council to be changing policy prior to a significant national policy statement.