Ed Miliband pledges ‘most ambitious reforms to UK energy system in generations’

Energy secretary to set out plan to boost renewable energy supply, such as building canopies of solar panels on outdoor car parks

Ed Miliband has pledged to bring in “the most ambitious reforms to the country’s energy system in generations” as he presses ahead with plans to accelerate the development of onshore windfarms in England.

The energy secretary is to set out the government’s “clean power 2030” plan on Friday, including measures to boost the UK’s renewable energy supply such as building canopies of solar panels on outdoor car parks.

Reforming the system for connecting new projects to the national grid to prioritise the most viable projects;

Speeding up decisions on planning permission by empowering planners to prioritise critical energy infrastructure;

Expanding the renewable auction process to allow funding to be secured before planning permission in an effort to stop delays and get more projects connected;

Allowing households to get access to cheaper tariffs at different times of day.