Sunday, January 19, 2025
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New solar farm could power 363,000 homes annually as Norfolk consultation begins

The Scottish government has temporarily dropped restrictions on the installation of wood burning stoves in newbuild homes or conversions. The Scottish Conservatives, who campaigned against the regulations, described the move as a "humiliating U-turn". Regulations known as the New Build Heat Standard (NBHS) came into effect at the start of April. They said new homes and buildings were not allowed to use direct-emission heating systems including gas or oil boilers. But the rules were put under review in May after concern a ban on wood burners would negatively impact on people living in rural areas. The new rules were designed to help reduce air pollution and tackle climate change by encouraging builders to install clean heating systems such as heat pumps or heat networks. But some opponents of the legislation had said they did not have access to the main gas supply and relied on log burners for heat during power cuts. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes previously said she had concerns about the ban, citing the impact it could have on older people in her Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency. A ministerial direction means that wood burners and other biofuel heating systems including peat can still be installed pending the outcome of the review. 'Deeply flawed ban' Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan has written to council bosses across Scotland confirming that the restriction have been temporarily dropped. His latter said: "The review is now concluding and we will implement the outcome of this by the end of December 2024." Conservative deputy rural affairs spokesman Jamie Halcro Johnston described the move as a "long overdue climbdown" and welcomed the decision to halt what he called a "deeply flawed ban". "Sustained pressure from the Scottish Conservatives as well as from our rural and island communities has now forced ministers into a humiliating U-turn," he said. "The consequences of imposing such a ban on installing wood burning stoves in new homes would have been devastating for those that rely on them, especially when there are periods of extreme weather. "However, with the lifting of this ban still only temporary, the Scottish Conservatives will continue to urge the SNP to do the right thing and make it permanent." 'Common sense' The Stove Industry Association (SIA) has welcomed the announcement, calling it a “common sense and progressive step”. The SIA had called for a review of the NBHS, arguing that modern wood burning stoves are a lower carbon-emitting heating option to direct electric heating. SIA chairman Andy Hill said: “We commend the Scottish government for taking this common sense and progressive step. "This direction not only promotes the use of renewable energy sources but also provides homeowners with more options for efficient and sustainable heating.” The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has meanwhile repeated its opposition to wood burning to be phased out in urban areas because of pollutants given off. It wants wood burning stoves to be phased out in urban areas, and support given to rural residents to transition to cleaner heat sources.

Residents in Norfolk have been invited to share their views on a new solar farm project, which could generate enough energy to power 363,000 homes each year.

The proposed High Grove Solar Farm, led by energy firm RWE, is set to be located near Dereham and Swaffham in Breckland, Norfolk.

RWE has launched an early consultation period, running until 18 October, to gather feedback from local communities. The project is still in its preliminary design phase, and public input could influence the final layout and development of the site.

The solar farm, combined with battery storage, aims to deliver 720MW of clean energy, spread across five development areas approximately 1.5km southwest of Dereham, 2km east of Necton, and 2km north of Watton. Public events are being held in September and October, with a further round of consultation planned for early 2025.

Richard Elton

Richard is the Senior Reporter at Electric Home, bringing over a decade of renewable energy reporting to the magazine. With a proven track record in covering sustainability innovations and the latest clean tech breakthroughs, Richard specializes in delivering insightful content that shapes the conversation around green solutions. His extensive industry experience and dedication to accurate, engaging journalism make him a key voice in today’s fast-evolving renewable energy landscape.

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Scotland's target for cutting planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions has been missed after a bounce back following the pandemic. Total emissions were 49.9% lower in 2021 than in 1990 but the target for the year was a 51.1% cut. It is the eighth time in 12 years that the legally binding target has been missed. The Scottish government said it was disappointed but that it was "not far behind" where it should be. Domestic transport was still the biggest source of emissions and was responsible for 26.2% of the total. Emissions in 2020 had dropped sharply because lockdown measures shut large sections of our economy and we were able to travel much less. While the figure for transport saw a jump of more than 10%, emissions from cars were still 17.5% lower than 2019, the year before the pandemic. Domestic aviation remained the same as 2020 but was half the levels of 2019, although this still accounted for just a fraction of total transport emissions. Agriculture narrowly overtook business as the second largest source of emissions. The figures are calculated using seven different greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and methane. Emissions from the energy sector, business and international aviation and shipping have all fallen. The energy supply sector saw another significant drop in emissions of around 9.2% which mean that since 1990 - the baseline year - they fell 77.6%. The figures attribute the latest fall to a drop in the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation. While power from renewables fell sharply because there was less wind, the contribution from nuclear grew but the figures do not reflect the closure of Hunterston B nuclear power station in January 2022. The Scottish government insisted the target had been missed "narrowly" by just 1.2 percentage points and did not reflect the policies introduced under its updated climate change plan in March 2021. It said that while the change will be driven by government it cannot happen without the contributions of individuals, communities and businesses. Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan added: "As the real life impacts of climate change become increasingly clear, we must go further and faster, and we will be introducing a draft of our new climate change plan later this year, which will contain even greater ambition while steering our emissions reduction pathway out to 2040." The total emissions for 2021 were the equivalent of 41.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. A growth area was in waste incineration which contributed 19% of the total emissions from electricity generation. That is expected to rise further in future years as more "energy from waste" plants begin operating. Residential emissions also grew by about 7% from 2020 to 2021 because colder winter temperatures at the start of the year meant we were burning more fuel to heat our homes. The Stop Climate Chaos Coalition has called for "bold new action" to drive down emissions in the worst polluting areas like transport. It describes 2020's figures as a "hollow success" as a result of the pandemic lockdowns. Chairman Mike Robinson added: "Every missed target means more effort is required the following year, making it harder to meet our crucial goals." Scottish Labour's net zero spokesperson Sarah Boyak accused the SNP of "empty rhetoric and broken promises". Liam Kerr, of the Scottish Conservatives, said it was "particularly galling" that the emissions target was missing in the year the COP26 climate summit was in Glasgow.

Scotland misses greenhouse gas emissions target