Reported in The Guardian on February 28   as a “watershed moment”,  the biggest energy lobbying group in the country, Energy UK,  has shifted its position on green energy and will start campaigning for low-carbon alternatives. The shift in policy follows the publication of Pathways for the GB Electricity Sector to 2030 , commissioned by Energy UK and written by consultants KPMG. (For comparison purposes, see the Canadian Electricity Association documents   Vision 2050  ( 2014) , and Adapting to Climate Change  (2016).

The U.K. Budget delivered on March 16  initially imposed a VAT increase from 5 – 20% on solar panels and other energy-saving products, but Chancellor George Osborne was forced to backtrack by political opposition.  Small comfort when the  Petroleum Revenue Tax was effectively abolished  and a supplementary charge on oil and gas extraction dramatically reduced – the government claims that it has provided tax support worth 1 billion pounds to the oil and gas industry.