Neither received an unmodified welcome, but most analysts think the measures are necessary if Britain is to undergo the sort of green-energy revolution which all parties have endorsed.
The objective is to replace the power stations burning coal, gas and oil - which contribute to climate change through their carbon-dioxide emissions - with renewable energy systems such as wind, solar, wave and tidal power, and also - although Mr Osborne did not mention it, perhaps because of the ongoing Japanese crisis - nuclear.
These new projects are immensely expensive, and the returns, if any, take a long time to come in. For example, a nuclear power station can take 10 years to construct. So investors are reluctant - and a little helping hand, the Government feels, is needed here and there. Read the full report here.
Source: by Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, The Independent, UK.
