According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), at the current rate of development it would take 4,700 years for England to reach the onshore wind capacity called for by government advisers.
Progress in England was stalled in 2015 when planning laws were changed to make it more difficult to gain permission for new onshore wind turbines – in what was effectively a ban.
A report in December suggested that this decision might have added around £800m to bills this winter alone. The government subsequently launched a consultation into potentially lifting the ban.
Nevertheless, only 17 new onshore wind farms have so far been approved since 2015, generating just 6.7 megawatts of power; 0.02 per cent of the on-shore total needed in England, based on National Grid estimates.
The IPPR report called for restrictions on onshore wind and solar power to be reduced and for local authorities to be compelled to identify land suitable for onshore wind and...