The Green Party applauds the announcement by the Chief Minister, Mr Cannan, that the Manx Utilities will now commence a construction project that will see up to 30 megawatts of renewable energy capacity (wind and solar) added to the grid by 2026.
The Government’s announcement comes in the wake of the announcement by the Peel Group of a planning application for a 27 megawatt solar farm at Billown in Malew. Both announcements indicate a significant shift away from fossil fuels and towards island based renewable energy. It is anticipated that the plans will only be the beginning for the large-scale adoption of renewable energy that will ultimately see energy bills fall, residents and business being better protected from volatile fossil fuel markets, and, if prioritised, the island achieving its international and domestic commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
This is a change that the Isle of Man Green Party has long called for and we welcome that the Government has finally now adopted our position.
Falling Price
The paradox of the Isle of Man has been that despite having abundant wind resources, it is heavily dependent on fossil fuels (75% in 2020) or foreign imports (38% in 2021) for electricity generation.
The announcement by the Government sees an indication that the Cannan administration has finally accepted that the data of the falling price of solar, wind, and batteries cannot be ignored any longer. Figures from the think tank RethinkX indicates that between 2010-2020, the price of solar, wind, and batteries fell in the region of 82%, 46%, and 87% respectively. In 2023, that trend indicates that the costs of installing solar, wind, and batteries can be cheaper than continuing to run already existing fossil fuel plants.
The Right Environment
Now that the Government has indicated leadership on the energy transition, the Green Party calls for it to support the wider adoption of renewables outside of the public sector by: -
i. Proposing plans to follow the UK’s adoption of permitted development orders for small scale, domestic wind turbines within appropriate parameters.
ii. Provide new guidance for the adoption of larger, onshore wind turbine proposals.
iii. Set out its plans for the installation and scaling-up of grid scale batteries to improve the management of grid balancing.
The Green Party is hosting a meeting on energy and policy next Tuesday 21 February, from 7pm at the Columba Club, Circular Road, Douglas (see link HERE). The meeting is open to the public and new ideas on a sustainable future for the Isle of Man are welcomed.
The Isle of Man Green Party is a registered political party building a sustainable vision for the future of the Isle of Man. Further information can be found on the Party’s website www.greenparty.im and via email at committee@greenparty.im.