ING UP

In recent years , there have probably been very few UK Government announcements or publications relating to the UK ' s decarbonization ambitions that have not mentioned offshore wind , which has rapidly emerged as an established renewable energy technology . But there is also accelerating interest by investors in onshore wind and solar PV , the dependable older cousins of offshore wind , that are again emerging from the shadows . The first onshore wind turbines in the UK began generating electricity in 1991 , gradually introducing diversity to a renewables sector that was dominated by hydropower and waste , with a large number of projects being commissioned in the 2000s . The growth in solar PV was propelled by the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff ( FIT ) scheme in 2010 . Gradual cuts to FITs and the government ' s decision in 2015 to end subsidies for onshore wind represented a temporary set-back for onshore wind and solar PV . But , as will be discussed in this article , policy and economic changes have created the right environment for renewed growth for onshore wind and solar PV .