UK plc gave Nick Clegg the nod yesterday after he launched his ‘green growth’ initiative. In a speech at the KPMG headquarters, Canary Wharf’s ‘greenest building’, The Deputy Prime Minister said decarbonising our economy was the “right thing to do, economically speaking.”

He wasn’t the only one flying the green flag. The CBI agreed it was high time to push the environmental agenda. Katja Hall, CBI Chief Policy Director said: “Energy efficiency and a shift towards a low carbon economy will not only bring benefits in cost savings, but also provide opportunities for growth and investment.”

Vincent Neate, Head of Sustainability at KPMG in the UK agreed that going green gave the UK a major advantage: “It is not a handicap or an extra cost that will hold us back.  Green technology properly embraced can help both businesses to make and consumers to save money.”

Many in the energy sector have often met Whitehall’s enthusiasm for green tech with scepticism, especially considering the fiscal climate.

The CBI’s Katja Hall said the ball was in the policy makers’ court: “With the right policies in place, the Government can give investors the confidence they need to inject billions of pounds into our energy infrastructure and create thousands of jobs. The key is investor certainty and a new long-term industrial policy will be crucial to achieving this.”