Banks are keen to help farmers looking to invest in small scale renewables, such as solar, because it makes their business more resilient.

Stephen and Anne Mullins used to ride their bikes onto the Hampshire hills above Winchester and sit on the grass by an old semi-detached farm cottage to admire the view. When the cottage came up for sale they bought it and laid plans to build one of the most energy-efficient houses in the country, an exhilarating barrel-roofed structure which costs £3 a day to run.

The European parliament voted on Wednesday to require member states to meet binding national targets on renewable energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.

The British public love renewables, are concerned about climate change and are broadly supportive of the green economy.

Ofgem has announced new feed-in tariff rates applicable from the 1 April 2014.

Rates were frozen in October until March 31 2014. Systems under 4kW in size will receive 14.38p per kW/h. The rates for systems over 50kW and less than 250kW will not be changed.

Investment in renewables and energy efficiency measures will be critical in helping businesses cope with future energy price increases, according to a new analyst's report.

Soaring energy costs are being blamed for a huge rise in the number of people going to hospital with illnesses caused by having to live in cold homes.

Installing solar panel system on household roofs is a better investment than a pension, a minister has said.

Last year, key manufacturers such as Waterfurnace Renewable Energy and LSB Industry subsidiary Climate Master managed to achieve major breakthroughs in efficiency via the incorporation of variable speed compressors into their heat pump systems.