Push for renewable energy as Codford solar farm opens

Mr O'Shea (left) believes the UK can get to net zero with solar sites like Codford

Plans to invest in the hydrogen industry in the West Country could create up to 40,000 new jobs, it is claimed.

The Western Gateway, a partnership of local authorities in south Wales and western England, said it could be used for steel work and aviation fuel.

Meanwhile, a new 72 acre solar farm has opened in Codford, Wiltshire, which can power 4,850 homes.

The farm was opened by Centrica and will provide 18 megawatts of power.

"You don't need the sun to be shining like it is in the summer to be getting energy from solar power, but on a good day it can provide 25% of the UK's electricity, said Chris O'Shea, chief executive of Centrica.

"In the UK we can get to net zero quicker than 2050 if we have the right policies, it is absolutely achievable."

"We have no shortage of land, and no shortage of wind," he added.

Codford is Centrica's first solar farm in the UK, and the county of Wiltshire has the UK's second highest number of solar farms.

"Gas and oil are at the mercy of foreign governments, and we can't control those prices," said Chris Skidmore MP, the former energy minister who led the Net Zero Review.

About 600 people attended the Western Gateway conference in Newport

At a conference in Newport, hundreds of people heard how hydrogen power could help reduce carbon emissions.

Hydrogen engines mix oxygen from the atmosphere with hydrogen to generate electricity, with water as the waste product.

Catherine Bennett, chair of the Western Gateway, said the area could become a "green energy powerhouse".

"We've got universities, airports, aerospace, all wanting to invest in hydrogen.

"We all know how challenging energy costs are.

"This is an encouragement for government and other investors to make the case that it can be attractive," she said.