Property not interested in wind power, says renewables boss
Developers appear to have given up on building onshore wind farms in the region, according to Nick Storer, chief executive of Envirolink Northwest.
Storer said: "All eyes seem to have turned to offshore wind, which is more problematic and expensive than onshore wind generation. It seems as though developers have given up on onshore wind developments in the North West despite the excellent wind energy resources the North West has."
Envirolink Northwest is the official renewable energy delivery partner of the North West Development Agency.
Storer said the North West had no chance of meeting its adopted renewable energy target of generating 937MW by 2010.
He said: "Currently 437MW of renewable power generation capacity has been installed, which at 47% of the target is close to the average for England, but is still disappointing, there is no possibility of the North west reaching its adopted target by 2010."
Storer continued: "The latest research shows that the global renewables market is worth more than £940bn with a prediction to grow by at least 25% by 2020 due to a combination of global government policies to tackle climate change and concerns over security of energy supply. The UK renewable energy market is currently valued at around £30 billion per year with growth predicted around 6-7% over the next few years.
"This represents a fantastic opportunity to all businesses within the sector."
The North West has 600 companies selling more than £2.8bn renewable energy products and services each year.
Envirolink Northwest is delivering a £13m, three-year programme, funded by the NWDA and the European Regional Development Fund to support the region's energy and environmental technologies and services sector.
Storer's organisation is also the main sponsor of the 31st annual conference of the British Wind Energy Association in Liverpool this week.
