The department for Energy and Climate Change has recently published the UK Renewable Energy Strategy. In this article I take a closer look at what this means for development projects in the UK.

Since the Planning and Energy Act came into force in 2008, local authorities have the power to require that development proposals will meet ambitious energy performance standards. Firstly they can require that the energy performance of buildings is greater than that required by the building regulations. Furthermore the planning authority may require that a proportion of the energy that is used by the new development will be produced on the development site by using renewable sources. Many local authorities have now adopted policies that require that a certain percentage of the energy use of new development will be generated on the site using low or zero carbon technologies. A description of the selected mix of technologies and the rational behind them is laid down in an Energy Statement.