East Anglia, one of the UK’s principal agricultural heartlands, has been a provider of renewable energy for centuries. Hundreds of windmills once dotted the flat and gently undulating landscape of the region, providing a revolutionary labour-saving method of processing grain into flour. This not only increased food productivity greatly, but was achieved without a single gram of carbon dioxide being released in the process
The counties of the region continue in this vein to this day, as organisations lead the charge with sustainable technology projects that build on the simple but elegant concept that windmills once provided for cereal processing. The 21st technologies that now exist and those that are in the development phase will make the region more sustainable as the green industry boom progresses, while simultaneously improving energy security and local job prospects.
The power of wind
Much as East Anglia’s agrarian forebears improved food production rates, engineering firms and sustainability collaborations are currently accelerating renewables capability in the region. It now boasts an impressive display of wind turbines, that can bring hundreds of Megawatts of electricity to nearby towns and villages. On a global scale, the UK experiences relatively high average wind speeds, especially offshore, and East Anglia is no exception. Its relatively flat and open topography lends itself to efficient wind power generation, with averages of approximately 8 mph for inland areas and significantly higher speed along the North Sea coast.
Wind speeds are even higher out at sea, a factor which has contributed to the development of the East Anglia Hub project. This is a huge offshore wind farm established through a joint venture between Scottish Power Renewables and Bilbao Offshore Holding Ltd. It claims an impressive clean power generation capacity of 714 Megawatts via 102 turbines. In other words, the windfarm can provide the electricity necessary to power over half a million homes in East Anglia.
The East Anglia Hub wind farm has been operational since 2020 and further projects are planned for the near future. These could provide Gigawatts of clean energy to the entire region, thus making a significant contribution to the UK’s overall clean energy strategy.
Tilting at wind turbines
Back on (relatively) dry land, much smaller arrays of wind turbines now dot the 21st century East Anglian landscape, providing renewable energy at smaller scale. While sometimes considered divisive due to their aesthetic contrast with the natural landscape and hazards posed to birds, onshore windfarms will be a crucial part of the sustainability puzzle, especially if the government is to deliver on its Clean Power 2030 pledge.
Enhancing wind power technology is by no means a breeze, but it has come a long way over the past few centuries, and things are continuing to evolve. This is nicely showcased by Spanish start-up Vortex, who have developed bladeless wind-turbines, some of which are surprisingly small.
Vortex haven’t taken their technology to commercial scale yet, but the concept is a further evolution of the traditional windmill that could find itself as much as in your back garden, as well as miles out in the Sea. The absence of blades also drastically reduces the risk to avian life. What’s more, they are quieter and more streamlined than the current technology, which may make renewables critics more forgiving overall, potentially resulting in a smoother pathway to development (and present less of an obstacle to Don Quixote).
Bring me sunshine
The East of England also has the privilege of being the driest region in the country, in what is otherwise a mostly cloudy and wet corner of Europe. With a comparatively low average rainfall of approximately 600mm per year (versus 1,400mm nationally), it makes sense to harness the power of the sun here too.
So, much like wind turbines across the region, solar farms are also popping up, with wide scale plans to establish more. The Droves solar farm project in Norfolk is currently going through the planning process and if delivered in its entirety, could provide clean energy for over 100,000 homes.
(Not) always sunny in East Anglia
However, concerns have been raised by some regarding such large projects. James Wild, MP for North West Norfolk, has submitted a formal consultation response on behalf of some of his constituents who worry that The Droves solar installation will have a lasting negative impact on the area.
Among those fears is chiefly the prospect of losing up to 2,000 acres of arable land to energy infrastructure. This will undeniably change the area’s visual character, but it will also impinge on local farming productivity.
Further issues are acknowledged in a report by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), some of which corroborate Wild’s concerns. This research shows that 53% of large-scale solar arrays in England are currently located on what is classified as “best and most versatile” (BMV) agricultural land, with the Goosehall and Black Peak Farm sites in Cambridgeshire contributing heavily to this statistic. Whichever way things progress, East Anglian residents would hope to reap the benefits of hosting solar projects – cheaper energy would be a nice start.
Sunlit uplands
Local concerns can often frustrate new green schemes, but trade-offs and compromises will be required if the UK’s sustainability mission is to progress. Furthermore, such debates can sometimes stimulate constructive ideas that bring forth alternative proposals – including augmentation of existing rooftops with solar panels and introducing legislation that mandates inclusion of photovoltaic installations in new building developments.
Local governments can also be of assistance by providing bursaries that incentivise small businesses to incorporate solar technology into their premises – for example, the Solar For Business initiative established by several Suffolk district councils, has been a success for many years now. These substitutes for building over nature could bring some sought-after long-term benefits, by way of energy bill reduction and stronger civic approval.
Down to the wire
With many sustainable energy projects either underway or imminent, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s “problem solved”. Unfortunately though, it’s not always a case of “plug and play”, because many new projects wait years to go live due to bottlenecks in the National Grid infrastructure. There are approximately 400 gigawatts of clean energy awaiting connection to the grid, so many renewables projects, both nationally and regionally, are not yet realising their full potential.
Power usage habits have also changed in recent years, which is largely driven by the rise in electric vehicle charging, causing sometimes unpredictable electricity demands at unusual times. Upgrades to the digital framework within which power usage predictions and load monitoring is done will be needed, alongside infrastructure expansion, if the National Grid is to be fit for the future. Those overseeing this situation are very aware of the challenges ahead, and initiatives have been established to facilitate positive change – Energy Systems Catapult and Energy UK are working with energy providers to accelerate plans to ultimately achieve the goals that will deliver the “green” juice to residents and businesses across East Anglia.
E-Fuels
While there is currently no “silver bullet” for the climate crisis, so-called electrofuels (e-fuels), may be the closest thing to it so far. E-fuels are a low-carbon, synthetic alternative to the traditionally refined fossil fuels so widely used and are regarded as an exciting new development in the energy sector. The production of e-fuels involves turning a plethora of existing feedstocks, such as waste biomass, municipal rubbish and captured-CO2, into liquid fuels using green-hydrogen and renewable energy. Johnson Matthey, a chemicals firm based in Royston on the South Cambridgeshire border, has made progress in this area recently, in partnership with BP. In 2023 the introduction of their patented sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) catalyst technology (FT-CANS) enabled the first net-zero transatlantic passenger flight to take place. FT-CANS is a low-carbon modification of the traditional Fischer-Tropsch process, which is historically responsible for the synthesis of fuels not derived directly from crude-oil distillation.
SAF is not yet at cost-parity with conventional jet fuel, however, there are signs that commercial viability is improving, with DG Fuels currently running SAF projects in Louisiana and Nebraska, and more projects are in the pipeline globally. If the economic challenges are to be overcome, there will need to be a confluence of smart public policy-making and targeted private sector investment. Promisingly, the UK government has now set targets for the use of SAF in the aviation industry, so not only will this decarbonise air travel going forward, but also grow employment in the SAF production sector and provide energy security via a diversified and resilient feedstock supply chain.
The proverbial cherry on top is that SAF and e-fuels can be dropped directly into much of the existing petrochemical infrastructure. Porsche are one car manufacturer pushing the defossilisation boundaries with automotive e-fuels in conjunction with Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF). So, further development may bring carbon-neutral petrol to a forecourt near you!
Looking after our own interests
Given the risks posed by rising sea levels and that much of East Anglia is low-lying, there is not only a moral imperative to mitigate climate change, but a pragmatic one too. NIMBY pushback can occasionally impede projects. Sometimes this is justified. So, it is essential to proceed with care when undertaking new developments, by considering the requirements of local residents and natural habitats alike. Ultimately, this will be key to bringing the public onside.
Encouragingly, there is a genuinely local focus on sustainability to go alongside the national effort.Councillor Ros Hathorn, of Cambridgeshire County Council, states that:
“Addressing climate change both through proactive carbon reduction and resilience actions is absolutely essential to how we operate today and plan for the future. Cambridgeshire county council has been strengthening its capacity for climate and nature action over time. There are specialists in natural capital, nature and the environment, climate change and carbon reduction, renewable projects and community energy and flood resilience”.
As this article will have hopefully evidenced, buy-in from local officials, private companies and individual citizens is genuinely making a positive difference across the region.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the challenges posed by climate change due to much of the gloomy rhetoric surrounding the issue. However, there are reasons to remain hopeful as action is being taken. All the while, new sustainable technologies are being developed – now is the opportunity for East Anglia to lead the way in the green revolution – it makes sense to be sustainable.
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