皇冠体育app

Press notice: 13/069

Aspiring communities across the nation will be able to receive Feed-in Tariff (FITs) payments for the clean green energy generated by larger community energy projects, under new plans set out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) today. Projects such as solar PV on school roofs or panels on libraries, community owned wind turbines and hydro power from local streams could all benefit under the proposed new rules.

皇冠体育app FITs scheme pays householders, businesses and communities for the electricity generated by a range of renewable energy technologies including solar PV, wind, hydro projects and anaerobic digestion. 皇冠体育appre is also money on offer for excess power exported back to the grid.

Support for community renewable projects over 5MW is currently available under the Renewables Obligation (RO). In response to feedback from community groups on the type of financial incentive that works best for them, DECC is planning to increase the threshold for community projects under FITs to enable larger projects to benefit.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said:

鈥溁使谔逵齛pp Coalition is determined to drive a step change in the deployment of community energy.

鈥淲e want to help consumers, businesses and communities generate more of their own clean, green electricity locally, becoming less reliant on centralised power generation.

鈥溁使谔逵齛pp expansion of our reformed Feed-in Tariff will encourage even more communities to get on board.鈥�

皇冠体育app Government has already supported hundreds of community energy projects up and down the country and last week opened a 拢15million Rural Community Energy Fund to applications, to help with the cost of feasibility studies and seeking planning permission.

DECC is also keen to explore what needs to be done to kick start even more projects across the UK, with a call for evidence currently underway and the UK鈥檚 first community energy strategy to be launched in the Autumn.

皇冠体育app proposed changes to the FITs rules will be made as part of the Energy Bill process. Once this Bill comes into force, the Government will consult on what this will mean in practice for community schemes.

Notes for editors

1. Under DECC鈥檚 proposals, community projects up to 10MW in size would be eligible for FITs.

2. More detail on FITs can be found on the GOV.UK website

3. Information about tariff levels under the FITs scheme

4. More details on the RO

5. Community energy call for evidence.

6. More details on RCEF