Planning problems leave UK suffering from 'trapped wind'

Wind turbines - not enough are being built

As the Financial Times pointed out yesterday, the UK has one of the most inefficient systems for subsidising renewable energy in the whole of Europe. Here we use a mechanism called - snappily – the renewables obligation. Like a compulsory visit to the mother-in-law on her birthday, the renewables obligation requires every power company in the land to produce a certain proportion of their energy from renewable sources like wind, wave and tidal power. Those that produce more than their allocated amount can sell credits to those that have come up short. So far, so good.