Ed Miliband’s renewable energy plan will carpet parts of the UK in solar panels (Image: Getty)
would see almost a billion solar panels carpet a part of the UK larger than Greater London.
Mr Miliband’s pledge to install the solar panels across the UK by 2035 has enraged farming campaigners who said it will have a devastating impact on the UK countryside.
A little over an estimated would be used, more than Greater London’s 607 sq miles.
Most of the panels would appear across a 200 sq mile swathe of the country – from Lincolnshire to South Wales and the West Country. Up to 130 sq miles would be needed in East Anglia and the South East to contribute to the Government’s plan for solar to generate 64GW in England and Wales by 2030.
One gigawatt requires 10 to 11 sq miles of solar panels. Solar panels vary in size, but are typically about two square metres.
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The Tories say Labour’s plan will increase energy bills (Image: Getty)
North Scotland would see 19 sq miles, South Scotland 20 sq miles, North East England 25 sq miles, North West England 71 sq miles, North Wales 24 sq miles and central southern England 68 sq miles, according to an analysis by .
The Government released an extensive plan on Friday setting out how ministers intend to lay the foundation for achieving its target of 95% clean power across the UK by 2030.
Labour’s energy plan outlines a host of reforms that the Government will introduce next year to start a major drive to wean the UK’s electricity system off fossil fuels. Mr Miliband plans to roll out wide-ranging measures to speed up planning decisions on clean energy projects, unblock the queue for connecting to the grid, boost renewable capacity, expand energy storage and increase flexibility in the system.
The Government said the wider economic benefits will also be huge, with an estimated £40billion extra in mostly private investment in homegrown clean energy projects per year.
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Some solar panels will be installed on roofs (Image: Getty)
However, the vast amount of infrastructure which needs to be built over the next few years comes with challenging trade offs, including significant impacts on communities and the natural world.
As more pylons and wind turbines appear across the country, those living in areas nearby will be offered a range of direct benefits, such as lower energy bills, to be outlined in legislation next year.
The have attacked the plan with Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho warning the plan will lead to higher bills.
She said: “Ed Miliband spent the election promising to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030, then took the same amount away from pensioners in poverty. Now his promise to cut bills by £300 is nowhere to be seen.
“Instead, he now has black and white proof that his rush to decarbonise the electricity system by 2030 will push up electricity prices and cause more hardship for people across Britain, but he’s pushing on regardless. We need cheap, reliable energy – not even higher bills.”
Mr Miliband stuck by Labour’s pledge that 95% clean power across the UK by 2030 will bring bills down by up to £300, but said he could not guarantee they would not rise in the meantime.
He said: “The result of our plans will not be about raising bills. I can’t guarantee what’s going to happen to bills next month, because we’re in the grip of the international fossil fuel markets.
“It’s precisely to get away from that and having homegrown clean energy we control – that is the way to lower bills. And every solar panel we put up, every wind turbine we build, every piece of infrastructure we build gives us more security and gets us on that path to lower bills.”