Climate change is generally accepted as being the greatest environmental challenge facing our world today. Together with the need to ensure long-term security of energy supply, it imposes an obligation on all of us to consider ways of reducing our carbon footprint and sourcing more of our energy from renewable resources.

The government has responded by setting legally binding targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 34% by 2020. Onshore wind is the most commercially viable renewable energy technology in the world today. In the UK, we have the best wind resources in Europe.

Frodsham wind farm alone would help meet more than a quarter of the renewable energy target set for Cheshire for 2020. In this part of Cheshire the industrial sector plays a significant role in supporting employment and wider economic activity. The dependence of this sector on traditional energy sources, such as fossil fuels, means there is now a drive to increase the amount of energy generated thorough low-carbon sources such as wind power.

Further targets for renewable energy generation for Cheshire are set out in the North West Regional Spatial Strategy. The table below details these targets and the performance against them.

	2010	2015	2020
RSS Target	82.5	120	120
Currently operational	None
Consented	None
Awaiting determination	None
Total	None
Residual	82.5	120	120