Addressing the challenges ahead…
.
How are rural areas such as the Sid Valley going to get to net-zero?
There are a few challenges ahead.
When it comes to transport – in particular a lack of connectivity and electric vehicle chargers – the challenges facing rural areas are considerable. And to actually make rural decarbonisation happen, the Rural Services Network is looking to “fair funding, enhanced connectivity, and robust public services”.
Looking at public transport in rural areas, the Rural ZEB taskforce report drew to MPs’ attention the significant challenges facing rural bus services – including the cost of zero-emission buses, the infrastructure challenges caused by limited facilities in rural areas, and the insufficient range currently delivered by existing zero-emission vehicle technologies. But the Confederation of Passenger Transport is positive about a “collaborative approach is needed for rural bus decarbonisation”.
The likes of the RSN have campaigned to ensure that rural areas don’t suffer from lack of access to new heating technologies. In their look at the future of rural heating late last year, concerns were raised about the failure to take into account the energy efficiency measures that may be needed when installing a heat pump in typical rural housing, And later, when looking at how a new government could help rural households decarbonise their heating, the RSN suggested “a decentralized solution for these hard-to-reach properties could be more practical and affordable, which means that an incoming government must also support alternative, low-carbon solutions”. Indeed, several players are looking to heating rural homes and achieving net zero as a serious enough issue to tackle.
The actual production of renewable energy, though, is facing a rural backlash – which could impede climate ambitions – the problem being that such facilities “tend to require large land areas compared to fossil fuel-based facilities, which means they tend to get sited in areas where land is cheap and plentiful, namely, in rural areas”. Looking to local energy production which would directly benefit local communities would be a possible way forward. And the CPRE’s suggests that the countryside is ahead on rooftop solar – but England’s full potential is overlooked. What is clear, though, is that whilst rural voters backed wind and solar energy farms before the election, at the same time the opposition to pylons is on the increase – so perhaps local production for local needs is the way ahead.
These are just a few of the issues – with others such as housing and farming to be considered anon…
…