The Government is using a new kind of consultation method to develop its revised microgeneration strategy. Instead of commissioning consultants to produce a report and recommendations for consideration, it is encouraging a consensus-building debate to generate such a draft. Anyone will be able to contribute.
The Strategy's focus is renewable electricity generation technologies below 50 kW, and renewable heat generating technologies under 300 kW, such as:
Air, ground and water source heat pumps
Solar photovoltaics (PV)
Solar thermal water heating
Biomass boilers
Micro combined heat and power (micro CHP)
Micro wind turbines
Fuel cells
Microhydro schemes
Passive flue gas recovery devices.
Its scope is to look at how to:
Ensure consumers have confidence that equipment and installation is reliable and adheres to the highest standards
Improve products through more trialling of technologies new to the UK
Develop the supply chain and skills required, as well as creating and sustaining jobs in the UK
Provide more accessible advice and information about microgeneration to everyone
Reduce the UK’s CO2 emissions and help meet the target of sourcing 20% of all EU energy from renewables by 2020
Include energy efficiency and behavioural change.
The Strategy will look forward to 2020 and cover England only.
Those wishing to participate should email: microgenconsult@decc.gsi.gov.uk. The process will include round-table discussions, steering groups, and a set of four working groups which will look at the key areas mentioned above. However, DECC says this does not mean views cannot be submitted before the draft strategy is produced.
The whole process will end on 22nd December 2010 with the final Microgeneration Strategy published in early 2011.
Homes, schools and businesses are already guaranteed cash payments through the feed-in tariff for producing their own green electricity through technologies such as solar panels or small wind turbines, as well as for selling it to the national grid.
Around 100,000 homes and organisations have installed this kind of technology so far. But Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “I want to see more homes, communities and businesses generating their own energy. We can literally bring power back to the people”.
Chief Executive of the Micropower Council, Dave Sowden, said: “We’re delighted the Government is embarking on the development of a new vision for a true mass market UK microgeneration industry and bringing sustainable energy self-production in reach of every citizen".
Call for end to planning barriers
The move has been widely welcomed but RenewableUK, the country’s leading renewable energy trade association, called again for a General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) for small wind turbines, which would allow installation without the need to undergo an expensive and lengthy planning process.
Maria McCaffery MBE, RenewableUK Chief Executive, said: “The UK already has over 14,000 installed small wind systems generating energy for local communities across the country. With the lifting of restrictions on local authorities from selling green energy, community generation can only grow. But for the industry to realise its full potential we need to remove planning barriers by introducing GPDOs."
As McCaffery said, the announcement follows that of Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne last week, which allows local councils to sell electricity they produce from renewables to the national electricity grid. DECC will be repealing the 1976 Local Government Act by the end of the year.
The Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Act 2009 [http://tinyurl.com/2w4u4py] committed Government to consult on a new Microgeneration Strategy with the expressed purpose to promote microgeneration technologies in England only. Microgeneration is a devolved matter. The devolved administrations have been consulted and will be developing their own plans for microgeneration.
http://tinyurl.com/2vghd3g
http://www.micropower.co.uk/
http://www.bwea.com/
