An independent commission on long-term infrastructure challenges has called on the government to speed up their commitment to renewables asking the UK’s politicians to aim for renewables to generate two-thirds of electricity by 2030. The National Infrastructure Commission had previously advised that the national grid should look for 50 per cent of electricity to be clean, but the falling price of wind and solar energy has led to the NIC to increase their ambition. Renewables currently make up 40 per cent of the electricity output. The NIC has published a report which is urging the government to take advantage of the perfect storm of variables which are making renewable energy the best option. Dramatic cost reductions in recent years have made renewable energy much cheaper than coal, oil and the more traditional fossil fuels and with an appetite for the economy to bounce-back with a greener focus now is a ‘crucial time’. Sir John Armitt, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, said: “The Government should be credited for recent steps to encourage quicker deployment of renewables and for setting up successful mechanisms for encouraging private-sector investments. “These latest projections suggest we can afford to go further, faster without hitting consumers in the pocket. “The national infrastructure strategy needs to include a long-term policy on future energy that reflects these facts and helps deliver the green recovery we all want to see.” A key element of the NIC report suggests that there should be annual electricity auctions which would allow wind and solar providers to compete to secure contracts for electricity.