𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Lee Anderson has dubbed the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband “Mad Miliband” in a blistering two-word reaction to the news that solar farms in the UK have been paid to switch off because of too much sunshine. It emerged yesterday that Miliband’s Energy Security and Net Zero department had issued switch-off orders to solar farms across the country since February, financially compensating them for a loss of activity to avoid overwhelming the grid. Responding to the action, which was carried out through the National Energy System Operator (NESO), Reform UK chief whip Lee Anderson said: “Mad Miliband Strikes Again.”

The MP for Ashfield also pointed to estimates from the Wasted Wind website that the constraint payments had already cost customers £650 million on top of their normal energy bills. Reform has been vocal in its criticism of Miliband’s approach to environmental issues over the last year, with party leader Nigel Farage declaring that net zero could be “the next Brexit” and warning against “deindustrialising” Britain, at the expense of families and businesses.

Since entering Number 10, the government has commenced a blitz of solar farm building. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, unveiled in December, includes a target for total capacity of 45-57 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, more than two times the current amount.

While constraint payments are nothing new for wind farms, which generate excess power on particularly windy days, the phenomenon as applied to solar farms is a recent development – and has seen pay-outs to energy suppliers including EDF Renewables and Octopus Energy.

Data from the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) showed that the “balancing payments” could rise to £8 billion a year by the end of the decade unless huge grid upgrades are undertaken, also at consumer expense.

John Constable, director of the REF, said sustainable energy providers should be forced to stand on their own feet without subsidies and special treatment.

“Britain’s energy bills are surging and everyone wants to know why,” he told The Telegraph. “Our work shows that subsidies are a key cause and constraint payments are a critical and growing factor.

“The UK has been subsidising renewables since 2002 and has spent over £200 billion of bill payers’ cash – equivalent to nearly £8,000 per household.

“It’s a key reason why the UK has some of the world’s highest energy prices. It’s time for this to stop before the burden on households and businesses does irreparable harm.”

A spokesperson for NESO said constraint payments were given to solar power generators “when there are physical constraints on the network” and to “maintain system stability and manage [network flows]”.

A representative for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero added that officials were “working at pace with the industry to rewire Britain, speed up new grid infrastructure, and minimise constraint payments”.