Green Energy - Lib Dems take the lead at County Hall
Surrey County Council has approved a motion put forward by the Liberal Democrat group, agreeing to investigate the use of renewable energy to generate income for the Council, whilst lowering carbon emissions.
Lib Dem Environment Spokesman Cllr Will Forster said: "I am delighted that the Council has agreed to take on our initiative. We made our proposal following the announcement by Chris Huhne MP, the Lib Dem Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which lifted the previous government's ban on local authorities selling electricity to the National Grid."
"Green electricity can be generated not only from waste, but also from water and wind power on the Council's land", he added. "Renewable energy has great potential as an income generator for the Council. Currently only 0.01% of the electricity generated in England is produced by local authorities. It is believed that councils across the country could earn around £200m a year by generating green energy."
Cllr Forster concluded: "This is another example of the positive influence of the Liberal Democrats in Government."