Ed Miliband now wants Brits to put wind turbines in their gardens

The Government has unveiled its plan to almost double onshore wind across England by 2030. Ministers want to expand the country’s onshore wind capacity from 14.8GW to up to 29GW by the end of the decade.

It forms part of wider Government ambitions to transition towards a clean power system by 2030 in a bid to slash the UK’s reliance on foreign gas and cut bills. But the Conservatives have slammed the strategy by accusing Energy Secretary Ed Miliband of making the country’s energy “unreliable and expensive” through his “obsession with climate targets”

Mr Miliband's new plan will also make it simpler for Britons to install wind turbines in their back gardens, it has been reported. Planning rules on the building of wind turbines on residential land could be relaxed once a consultation has finished.

Garden or rooftop wind turbines could help homeowners and small businesses slash their bills by generating electricity for direct consumption. Excess power can then be used to charge batteries or be sold to the grid.

But Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Energy Secretary, said: “Ed Miliband’s obsession with climate targets means he’s making our energy unreliable and expensive. No country in the world relies just on the wind and the sun. He is shutting down the North Sea, concreting our gas wells and he’s downgraded our plans for nuclear. All this means is that families' energy bills are going to go through the roof, and we'll just end up importing more from coal-powered China.

“The US security services have already warned us that Chinese wind turbines could pose serious risks to our national security, but he won’t do a China audit. Ed wants to hit net zero targets no matter the cost to the British public.”

The cost of foreign gas has significantly impacted UK electricity prices, especially since the war in Ukraine.

As part of the latest green plan, the Government set out 40 actions for ministers and industry to take to hit the 2030 onshore wind ambitions.

These include planning reforms, building supply chains and skilled workforces, resolving issues over how onshore turbines and aerospace infrastructure can co-exist, repowering old turbines, and exploring plans to expand the clean industry bonus for onshore wind.

In the foreword of the strategy, Mr Miliband said: “As one of the cheapest and fastest-to-build sources of power we have, onshore wind will play a critical role in boosting our energy independence with clean power by 2030.

“The reality is that every turbine we build helps protect families, businesses and the public finances from future fossil fuel shocks.”

Last year, Labour axed the de facto ban on building onshore wind farms introduced by the Conservatives under David Cameron.

The Government’s move put onshore wind on an equal planning footing to offshore wind and nuclear, paving the way for projects to be rolled out faster in the coming years.