When it comes to renewable energy, Cumbria certainly seems to know its stuff, with a new independent report from REN21 revealing that the county is one of the top ten wind producers across the whole of the UK.
The study also found that the UK itself is the fourth biggest producer where renewables are concerned, with the sector seeing a record year in growth on a global scale in 2015, the North-West Evening Mail reports.
Additional figures from independent thinktank Green Alliance also recently revealed that Cumbria is the ninth biggest producer of on-shore wind in the UK, with other sources coming from solar energy and biomass. South Lakeland is one of the top ten producers of hydropower, meanwhile.
Senior policy adviser at Green Alliance Amy Mount was quoted by the news source as saying: “These new stats show the world is already moving in a low carbon direction. Renewables are now mainstream infrastructure, powering 25 per cent of [the] UK’s electricity last year.”
It certainly seems as though Cumbria is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to renewables, with recent reports revealing that hundreds of homes in the region will be heated using cheese, thanks to a government subsidy scheme that rewards businesses and homes for producing energy using renewable sources.
Apparently, a new green energy plant in Aspatria will be turning whey and other cheese manufacturing waste into biogas, some of which will be used to generate electricity onsite, with the rest then fed back into the local gas grid so it can be used for heating and cooking.