The government is committed to increased renewable energy production, and Cumbria can make a contribution to that commitment. Most of Cumbria’s local authorities have worked together to produce a study that provides an evidence base for future policies on renewable energy in Cumbria. The Cumbria Renewable Energy Capacity and Deployment Study will help us to develop sound renewable energy policies. It will ensure we make best use of our natural resources while not adversely impacting our landscape, wildlife, or communities.
The study area is the whole of Cumbria. We were on the steering group and contributed to the work.
The study considers the potential for a range of renewable energy technologies throughout Cumbria:
Cumbria has large areas of high quality landscape, and much of this is designated as protected landscapes. The Cumbria Renewables Study includes research into the capacity for renewable energy production within the protected landscapes. These are:
The report gives a detailed assessment of the amount of resources available in Cumbria that could be used to generate energy up to 2030. This is the overall potential technical capacity.
The next stage of the work analyses key constraints and opportunities associated with economic, technical, policy and landscape factors. Different scenarios were tested and modelled, to look at potential different mixes of renewable energy technologies could be deployed in Cumbria.
National policy for planning and for energy generation is changing, and the study takes this into account where possible.
As the full study was too large to put on our website, we have divided it into smaller chapters so it’s easier to download:
