Number of UK renewable energy projects hits record high

The number of new renewable energy projects in the UK that have asked for planning permission reached a four-year high with 269 applications last year.

The increase was due to energy companies racing to meet the rising demand for clean electricity.

According to consultancy PX Group, the number of applications rose from 204 during the previous year to 269. The number is up 75% compared to 2016, when there were only 154 submissions.

Clean energy developers are also able to roll out more projects due to falling technology costs and greater support from financiers.

According to the Guardian, Geoff Holmes, the chief executive of PX Group, said: “It goes without saying that as more of these projects get off the ground, the faster the UK can get to a point where clean, green sources provide an even greater share of the UK’s energy.

“Of course, there is a lag time between submitting plans to councils and projects becoming fully operational, so more projects being in the pipeline is not a quick fix.”

The increase in the number of requests for planning permission is expected to continue after the government recently lifted a block against subsidising onshore wind projects.

Also, the investment universe for the sector had recently begun to broaden the diversity offered to investors.

For example, anaerobic digestion (AD) technology that uses household food waste to produce clean biogas is a type of renewable energy that has gained traction these past few years.