Sustainable energy scale - standalone renewable and low carbon energy

In addition to the criteria based policies and targets required in PPS22, you should identify suitable locations for standalone renewable and low-carbon energy developments such as wind turbines, energy from waste schemes or biomass power stations.

In the case of wind, developers will often scope out possible locations themselves, so criteria-based policies are likely to be sufficient. However, some sites that developers reject as less commercially viable may nevertheless be suitable for a wind energy project either because the promoter is happy to take a lower return (the local authority, some land-owners, community groups or cooperatives) or because the site is an ‘allowable solution’ linked to new development post-2016.

Whilst considering sites for standalone technologies, you should be mindful of any impact on adaptation such as the use of flood plain for the provision of large scale wind turbines and so on. Remember that schemes may have an impact on the ability of the area to adapt to climate change as well as the effects of climate change having an impact on the suitability of the location for a sustainable energy scheme.

See the following policy objective pages for more information; SE 3. Identify and promote sites for stand-alone renewable energy.