According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), England is facing a major challenge in transitioning to renewable energy. Based on current laws and government plans in place, it would take approximately 4,700 years to build enough onshore wind farms to meet the country's energy demand.

Since 2015, local laws governing the approval of wind farms have been changed, making it more difficult to obtain construction permits. As a result, only 17 new onshore installations have been approved since that time.

While there were signs last year that the government might relax restrictions on onshore wind farms, divisions within the Conservative Party, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have pushed back against this proposal.

The IPPR is now calling for the easing of constraints on such installations, as well as solar energy, and urging authorities to identify suitable land for their construction.

Luke Murphy, Associate Director for Energy, Climate, Housing, and Infrastructure at IPPR, states that fundamental planning reforms are needed to speed up efforts to reduce emissions, deploy renewable energy generation, and achieve vital house-building targets.

Next month, the UK's Electricity Systems Operator (ESO) will release documents on future energy scenarios, focusing on achieving the Net Zero target. This goal aims to reduce carbon levels across all sectors of the UK economy by 2050. However, organizations such as IPPR and Green Alliance argue that the government is not on track to meet this decarbonization objective.

Maya Singer Hobbs, one of the lead researchers at IPPR, says, None of the shortcomings of the English system are inevitable. The de facto ban on onshore wind, inconsistent environmental standards, and lack of good-quality housing can all be solved by reforming the system. It is therefore crucial to take action to overcome these obstacles and accelerate the transition to clean and sustainable energy.