by Shahid Mahdi
Unbeknownst to many Britons, their nation is home to a hearth of cutting-edge, sustainable, and pragmatic renewable source producers — which must be capitalized on if the U.K. is to earn the epithet of a green nation, and can be done by using Public-Private Partnerships. (Photo credit: Nicholas Doherty on UnSplash)
The smoggy, tear-inducing haze over London was not so much a hindrance as it was a norm of captivating innovation: the year is 1887; the month is a particularly arid July, and the Industrial Revolution is at its zenith. This cacophony of cogs, bolts, nuts, sparks, and raw chauvinistic power was the backbone of the British Empire’s well-oiled machine and the ultimate exemplar of fueled excellence.
However, in the quiet, still pastoral setting of Marykirk, Scotland, the gentle whir of an antithetical invention ensued. James Blyth, a steadfast academic and engineering renaissance man, had just successfully generated electricity from what he labeled “a cloth-sailed wind turbine.” While the magnitude of his invention would not be revered until long after his death — or, as some argue, until an American named Charles F. Brush contemporaneously invented a similar device — Blyth had walked into the annals of history. Amidst the monochrome of the Revolution, he had conceived the first functional wind-borne electricity generating device.
Fast-forward 120 years or so and the U.K. has embraced the technological bliss of wind like few other countries. Blessed with a temperate climate, swathes of verdant pastures, and shorelines, wind power has become an extolled form of energy across the country and the continent. That being said, in a world where fossil fuels remain a crude yet unsettled king, the strategic, ripe presence of wind projects in the U.K. is a halcyon renewable energy outcome that doesn’t receive as much attention as it ought to.
For the last 12 years, the U.K. has remained ahead of its Scandinavian neighbors in terms of proportionate wind energy output, generating up to 25% of the U.K.’s energy and providing around 25 gigawatts (GW) of electricity to Europe, according to TheWindPower Statistics. It is the world’s sixth-largest wind-producing nation. According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s Public Attitudes Tracker, 81% of the British public view wind power favorably, and £19 billion ($21.8 billion) has been invested into it for the next decade, thereby creating a niche for more jobs in manufacturing and infrastructure. Off-shore wind powers the equivalent of 4.5 million homes annually; similarly, on-shore wind projects flaunt an equally impressive yield, powering 7.25 million homes annually.
Yet, the British perception of energy is a notorious one. One of the most controversial macroeconomic initiatives in modern history was that of Thatcherism, the free-market, Reaganite policies implemented by the obdurately intelligent Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s. With an emphasis on low-regulation, high-market, laissez-faire government, the keystone of Thatcherism was the virtually overnight privatization of national energy industries. Coal, as Britain’s booming power backbone, was one sector particularly affected; the consequent loss of jobs and despair is an acerbic memory to this day. While Thatcher’s controversial measures mire her legacy, one could argue that private inclusion is to thank for the plethora of wind projects in the U.K.
As foreign and domestic entities gobbled down the major existing plants and projects in the next two decades, a simultaneous environmentalist narrative emerged.
With legislative support, high public opinion, a robust sense of enthusiasm, and a strong foundation of young, talented engineers, the next two decades brought about 29 big off-shore wind projects, with 103, including on-shore and off-shore of all sizes, planned for the next five years, according to the Ofgem-fed Renewables Map site. However, if the wind is to continue its peerless surge, the manner by which we perceive it must be revamped.
Public-Private Partnerships can offer solutions not usually attainable through “binary” sector perception (i.e. wind projects solely managed by the government, or in the U.K.’s case, the private sector). These models could be instrumental in finding an equilibrium between negative sentiment towards private energy companies and the faltering, often underfunded public sector. The frontier of wind power is the perfect place to put these agreements to use. “Blyth Partnerships,” as these would be known, would be forged between private sector giants like E-ON and local off- or on-shore communities along with the U.K. government.
The plan, which primarily involves the creation of communal, redistributive impact investment funds, is a win-win for all parties: 1) the energy giant can improve its social responsibility image while also affirming long-term stability and ownership, 2) the government sees fiduciary benefit and is encouraged to permit more wind projects, and 3) the communities, cities, and towns feel galvanized knowing the wind farms that environ them are not only producing energy, but also acting as harbingers of a positive financial trajectory.
Now is the optimal time to act. The usual parliamentary push-back would be almost a non-issue given the Conservative majority in the Houses of Parliament; their green platform is endearing for environmental-fueled bills.
Furthermore, in the aftermath of Brexit, the country’s paramount objective is to assuage financial qualms and reassure the world that it is a magnet for foreign investment in the green sector. Through these initiatives, this type of influx can occur without eroding away at the communities most impacted – financially or politically.
The Blyth Partnerships can offer significant, potential billion-dollar returns for power companies while fostering the willingness to go green. The U.K. has been a leader in many ventures over the past century; there is no reason why it can’t continue to be a pioneer in renewable energy.
Shahid Mahdi is a Masters of Science candidate in Global Security, Conflict and Cybercrime at the Center for Global Affairs, NYU. He has previously earned a M.S. in Global Affairs, and a B.A. in English Literature & Creative Writing from New York University. Of Indian origin, Shahid has grown up in the U.A.E., Switzerland, and the U.K. He is passionate about energy software, smart city solutions, real-estate, and the nature of cities — through the conduit of their past or looking towards their future. You can read more of his work at www.shahidm.com
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