The Business Secretary has said he is not a green energy sceptic.

In an editorial piece in The Guardian, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he was convinced by the need to boost renewables.

The Business Secretary revealed new policies, including loosening regulations for businesses to install solar technologies and offering homeowners grants to put solar panels on their homes.

He said: “We are exploring options to support low-cost finance to help householders with the upfront costs of solar installation, permitted development rights to support deployment of more small-scale solar in commercial settings and designing performance standards to further encourage renewables, including solar PV, in new homes and buildings.”

In the article, Rees-Mogg branded coal mines and oil rigs as “dark satanic mills”, vowing to replace them with wind farms.

He said: “The drive to produce up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 means that this sector alone should grow to support 90,000 jobs.”

Earlier this week, the government announced the Energy Prices Bill, which includes a proposal to introduce a temporary cap on revenues made by renewable energy generators.

Ministers said the new legislation would cut the link between electricity and gas prices.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “By separating the price of renewable energy from the most expensive form of production, which today is gas and moving these companies on to Contracts for Difference, the government is providing the renewables sector with long-term stability and a sensible price that is fair to the industry and consumers alike.”

In the piece, Rees-Mogg said he was in favour of boosting the grid and was “committed to significantly reducing timelines” for building new infrastructure to support renewables expansion.

However, he explained: “But in exchange for the unprecedented support that is being offered to renewable energy companies, they must charge consumers and taxpayers a fair price for the energy they produce.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2022/10/14/i-am-not-a-green-energy-sceptic-says-business-secretary/