THREE East Lancashire authorities feature in the top 10 for having the highest percentages of their electricity consumption coming from renewable sources.

Rossendale (54.7%) were runners-up in the statistics to Allerdale (86.6) and they were followed by Hyndburn (third with 29.9) and Burnley (fourth with 29.3).

It was part of a trend where Lancashire and Cumbria are way ahead of other North West counties for generating renewable energy, new figures show.

In a comparison of counties’ renewable energy capacity by the environmental think tank Green Alliance, Lancashire and Cumbria vie for first place, with impressive levels of onshore wind and biomass for heat.

And, contrary to popular belief, the North West is quite sunny enough, as the study shows that all five counties have good levels of rooftop solar, with more than 60,000 households across the region boasting solar panels.

Greater Manchester wins on solar capacity, with 23,484 solar roofs. Renewable energy is by far the most popular energy source with people in the UK according to official government statistics which show 78% of the public support the use of renewables, with only 4% against [4].

For the region as a whole, offshore wind is the dominant source of the North West’s renewable energy. The region currently has more than a gigawatt of offshore wind capacity installed. Enough to meet the electricity needs of one million households, five times the size of Liverpool.

As a whole, renewables are generating 19% of the region’s electricity consumption. For regions in England and Wales, this puts the North West in fourth place below Yorkshire and the Humber, Wales and the East of England.

Amy Mount, senior policy adviser at Green Alliance, said: “In December, the whole world signed an agreement in Paris, committing to tackling climate change. But it’s not only global leaders who are taking this agenda seriously; these figures for the North West of England are exciting, as they show that local communities are seeing the benefits of the shift to clean energy.

Across the region, families are putting solar panels on their roofs, and businesses are making major investments in cleantech. National government should match these commitments and recognise that it’s what local communities want, by stepping up support for this growing industry.”

Councillor Kate Chappell, Executive Member for the Environment at Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester is proud to have joined many other great northern cities in pledging to move towards being powered exclusively by clean energy before 2050.

"We're working with other Greater Manchester authorities and partners, including the University of Manchester, to develop our collective understanding of low carbon energy, while exploring the potential for innovative locally generated renewable energy sources for the city. The emerging Manchester Strategy explains our commitment to reducing the city's carbon footprint, which includes the use of clean energy.

"Manchester was integral to the Industrial Revolution and we see ourselves as being ideally placed to help lead the Clean Energy Revolution, which is vital for all of our futures in the 21st century."

Kevin Frea, director at Halton Lune Hydro Ltd, said: "All communities like ours can play a leading role in meeting the UK’s carbon and renewables targets. We raised £1.4m from local investors to build a hydro scheme on our river that now supplies 300 homes."

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