Archive for the ‘Renewable Energy’ Category

Feed-in-Tarriff (FIT) Switch Over From ROC Incentive

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Below is important information regarding the switch over from the ROC incentive to the FiT incentive which takes place at the end of March. Please read this as you may need to act before the end of March.

One area we should make clear; if you have received a LCBP phase 2 grant, you are not eligible for the FiT unless the grant is repaid. DECC are firm on this point. Every other scenario is covered below. We’ve also attached various documents and links that may be relevant to your situation.

Also if you have installed Sunpower, Suntech or Sanyo 205/210 on any projects then you must apply for a ROC cert before the 31st of March 2010 in order to qualify for the FiT. Please continue reading for a full explanation.

Background (extract from DECC policy letter)
The Government is introducing a system of feed-in tariffs (FITs) for small-scale low-carbon electricity generation from 1 April 2010. FITs are a per-unit support payment made directly to generators by electricity suppliers.

DECC intends that FITs will replace the RO as far as possible as the financial support mechanism for microgeneration in Great Britain.

FITs will complement the RO by providing the simplicity and certainty needed to support householders, communities and businesses involved in small-scale generation.

Installations with a capacity of 5MW or less will be eligible for FITs. Whereas the level of reward under the RO is exposed to fluctuations in the value of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs), FITs will guarantee a fixed level of reward for each unit of electricity you generate, for as long as you are eligible to receive support.

EST’s advice
The tariffs available and the process for receiving them vary, depending on when the technology was installed, and whether the system and the installer were certificated under the MCS scheme:

Installed before July 15th 2009 and previously collected Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROCs) payments

  • You must contact Ofgem to get your ROC transferred to the FIT.
  • You will receive 9p/kWh for every unit generated plus 3p/kWh for every unit exported

Installed before July 15th 2009 but not registered for Renewables Obligation Certificates

  • You must contact Ofgem by 31st March 2010 to apply for Renewables Obligation accreditation.
  • You will receive 9p/kWh for every unit generated plus 3p/kWh for every unit exported

Installed between 15th July 2009 and 1st April 2010

  • You can contact OFGEM to apply for Renewables Obligation accreditation by 31st March 2010 and transfer over to FITs on 1st April. You will get the full FIT payment.
  • Or, you can wait until 1st April and apply under the FIT scheme directly – see below.

Installed between 15th July 2009 and 1st April, applying for FITs after April 1st 2010

  • If the system is not MCS, must apply to Ofgem before 1st April for RO accreditation.
  • If system is MCS, must contact FIT licensee for registration (energy supplier).

Installed after 1st April 2010. MCS certificated product and installer

  • You are eligible for full generation tariff and export tariff.
  • Contact your energy supplier, and send them your MCS certificate to tell them you are eligible to receive FITs.
  • If you install after the 2nd year of the scheme your tariff could be reduced, depending on the installation size.

Installed after 1st April 2010. Non-MCS certificated product and installer

  • Systems that are not MCS certificated will not be eligible to receive the FIT generation tariff or the guaranteed FIT export tariff. There is the possibility of receiving generation and export tariffs outside of the FIT scheme if privately negotiated.
  • You will still benefit from lower electricity bills. The saving will depend on how much of the electricity you generate is used on-site.

Small Generators (50kW to 5MW) installed from 15th July 2009

  • You have a one off choice between receiving FITs or RO.
  • If you wish to transfer from Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) to FITs email RO2FIT@ofgem.gov.uk by 1st April 2010.
  • If you switch to FITs then you will be eligible to receive the full generation tariff and export tariff.

If you are not sure if your system is ROC registered, CLICK HERE to visit to the general area of Ofgem’s site. Or Register by CLICKING HERE

If you need to register for ROCs, this is the process:

  • Then select the accreditation tab and click apply for new accreditation.

Effectively for this you will need the meter make, model and serial number and the electrical schematic (which also shows and includes the meter details).

Further guidance:
This page has many documents but the most useful one for microgenerators is the on entitled ‘Renewables Obligation: Guidance for microgenerators (small generators 50kW or less) ’. Visit http://www.ofgem.gov.uk

This page has information about the Feed In Tariff scheme and links to DECC and the Energy Saving Trust who are working closely to provide an advice giving service Visit: http://www.ofgem.gov.uk.

Please note: If you require further assistance on registering your PV system, PLEASE CONTACT OFGEM DIRECTLY on 020 7901 7295. As this is an Ofgem process Energi are not able to provide any further advise other than that is contained herein.

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Social Housing project supports environmentally friendly technology

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Energi Investments plc has recently completed fitting Solar PV C21e tiles to roofs of houses for property developer Mark Oliver Homes on homes being built in Liversedge for their client Connect Housing. The total value of the contract was £240,000. This is an alternative Solar PV that is integrated into each roof and has a visually appealing finish. The tiles are available in to forms; one is compatible with interlocking tiles and the other is compatible with slates. This is another example of Energi working with house builders in the aid to reduce CO2 in new homes being built.

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Britain To Shift To Smart Grid, Meter Systems

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Date: 03-Dec-09
Country: UK
Author: Kwok W. Wan

LONDON – Britain is to shift to a smart energy system, including a national smart grid, which should pave the way to a low carbon future that includes large wind farms, more efficient heating systems and electric vehicles.

The government said smart meters, which provide real-time information to consumers about energy usage, and smart grids, which give real-time data about power demand and generation across the network, were integral for Britain to hit its carbon targets.

The Department of Energy and Climate Chance (DECC) estimated the cost of replacing the country’s 47 million meters with smart meters by 2020 to be around 8.6 billion pounds ($14.25 billion) and will publish a detailed smart grid route map in early 2010.

“Smart grids will help manage the massive shift to low carbon electricity such as wind, nuclear and clean fossil fuels,” energy minister Lord Hunt said on Wednesday.

“Globally the business of developing smart grids has been estimated at 27 billion pounds over the next 5 years and the UK has the know-how to be part of that.”

It is the first time the government has talked about a smart grid, and it will provide 6 million pounds to develop smart meter technologies. The energy regulator Ofgem will make 500 million pounds available over the next five years for large scale smart grid trials.

The government also called for communications across the new national smart grid to be managed centrally, while maintaining metering competition.

All suppliers would be obliged to use the central function under license.

DECC said utility companies would be responsible for installing smart electricity and gas meters in all British homes and most small businesses by the end of 2020.

Smart meters are seen as a first step toward creating smart grids and could reduce energy demand by cutting power to appliances that do not need continuous power, such as washing machines and laptops with batteries.

Director of British Gas smart metering, Peter Allison, said it estimated energy savings from smart meters to be around 2-3 percent, around the same as government estimates.

Full story available at: planetark.org/enviro-news/item/55763

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Climate policies ‘improve health’

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Cutting emissions to mitigate climate change will make people healthier, according to research. Full story available news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8377268.stm

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First UK University has Solar Trackers Installed

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Energi PLC is leading the way forward in being the first company to install Solar Trackers at a UK University. The Solar Trackers were installed at UCLan in September 2009. The devices will track the sun’s path over the course of the day and are 40% more efficient than standard solar panels and even gather electricity when it is cloudy. The trackers will also help save 6,134 kgs of CO2 per year and were part-funded by the BRE LCBP Phase 2 grant scheme. Electricity generated from the Trackers will feed the national grid.

Solar Tracker installed at UClan

Solar Tracker installed at UClan

Mark Dickson, managing director of Energi, said: “UCLan are very forward thinking in their carbon reduction plans and have forged ahead with installing the first ever Solar Trackers at a UK University.

“This is yet a great example of our work that is continuing in the education sector and in helping reduce energy bills and carbon footprints. This was an exciting project to be involved in and we were extremely delighted in working with UCLan again and we are looking forward to working with UCLan again in the near future.”

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Funding body tells universities to cut carbon quick

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

A new consultation on how the higher education sector can reduce its carbon footprint has been launched.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has stated that universities should aspire to half their emissions by 2020, and 80% by 2050.

Universities will find steep carbon-reduction targets challenging because of an expansion in student numbers and demand for longer opening hours, but experts believe the proposals are realistic.

The higher education sector’s total emissions output was 2.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide in 1990, which has since risen by 34% to 3.3m tonnes in 2006.

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK said: “We support this goal.  Universities, as educators, have been playing a vital role in moving the sustainability development agenda forward, and seeking a reduction in carbon emissions is key to this.”

The consultation, which runs until October, is exploring how universities can cut their emissions through transport, buildings’ energy use and procurement of goods and services, though it makes clear that it will be for individual institutions to decide how they’ll meet the targets.

Energi specialises in renewable technology projects across the public, private and education sectors, including two flagship projects at University of Central Lancashire and Manchester Metropolitan University.

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UNIVERSITY EMBRACES GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Friday, July 17th, 2009

The campus at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) is now one of the most energy efficient in the country thanks to an installation of solar panels.

Three of the university’s buildings have been equipped with 400 Sharp solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on their roofs, including the students union and library.

The modules, which have been installed by leading renewable technology specialist, Energi, will generate between them a total of 43,000kWh of electricity per year, which is enough to make over 2,100,000 cups of tea.

Display screens have been fitted in two of the buildings to monitor energy generation and students will be able to use the information for case studies.   

The solar PV panels have been linked in with the university’s electrical network and all of the energy generated will be used on site, reducing the amount procured from the national grid. 

The panels were switched on at a special launch event which was attended by council dignitaries, university staff and Energi.

Dr John Hindley, MMU’s environmental sustainability manager, said: “MMU uses more than 28 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, so onsite energy generation is going to deliver real benefits in terms of both financial savings and reduced carbon emissions. 

“The PV panel project is just one element of MMU’s sustainable development strategy.  Along with the recently introduced energy rating scheme for university buildings and ‘Zero Waste’ project across halls of residence, MMU’s £120 million Hulme super-campus is aspiring to be the greenest in the UK with aims to have a zero carbon footprint.”

Mark Dickinson, managing director of Energi, said: “MMU were very ambitious in their carbon reduction plans and the installation will go a long way to helping them meet energy targets.

“This is another example of work we have undertaken across the education sector and universities in particular are looking at increasingly progressive ways of reducing their energy bills and carbon footprints.”

The £480,000 project was part-funded through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, which gives up to 50 per cent funding to qualifying renewable energy projects.

Energi is fully accredited under the BRE Global MCS scheme for solar PV installers and are members of the REAL Assurance Scheme.

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Energy efficient products could save UK £900m

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

The introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards combined with better energy labeling could save the U.K. £900m according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Defra has launched a new consultation looking into how best to implement the measures as part of a Europe-wide plan to reduce the energy consumption of household products.

The consultation will discuss how to ensure a fair environment in which manufacturers can compete, while guaranteeing consumers that the products they purchase meet all the mandatory minimum energy performance standards.

The EU has estimated that such measures could cut the continent’s energy consumption by ten per cent, dramatically reducing household the cost of bills.

Last week, new environment minister, Dan Norris MP, said: “It is really important that we hear from businesses and manufacturers to get a well rounded view of how we can enforce and check on the energy standards of products.

“These standards can save our economy so much money and can save millions of tonnes of CO2 from going into the atmosphere.”

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Research shows 91% of UK households would consider installing solar power

Friday, June 19th, 2009

91% of the UK population have considered or would consider buying solar photovoltaics to generate electricity at home according to a new survey by the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT)

The survey of over 750 households, showed that 90% surveyed would consider, and over 23% definitely buy PV if the FIT was 50p per unit of electricity or above.

Interestingly, the research found knowledge of PV to be high, although 75% of respondents didn’t think PV could generate sufficient electricity, despite having an annual electricity consumption of between 3,000 to 4,000 units a year and understanding that PV requires only daylight to create electricity.

Solar PV has proven to be a very effective way of generating clean electricity in the UK as it relies on daylight not heat, requires little or no maintenance and will generate power for forty years plus.

Many new homes are now being built across the country with solar electric roof tiles; a new and innovative way of replacing traditional roof tiles with solar power that can be installed by local roofers with minimal training and are virtually unnoticeable on buildings.

Social Housing developers can also use solar and wind power to meet government energy targets and reduce the environmental impact of their sites.  Public sector developments and organisations can benefit from up to 50% funding towards the cost of their installation.

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Posted in Agricultural Industry, Architects, Commercial Developers, Educational Authorities, Energi Holdings, Renewable Energy, Social Housing, Solar PV, Wind Renewable Energy | No Comments »

Government is set to announce green home makeovers

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

The government is set to announce its plans to reduce household carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050.

Statistics revealed that energy use in homes currently accounts for almost one third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.

Reports released suggested that under the plans, about seven million houses and flats will be offered a complete eco-makeover and that the Government will commit to cutting a third of greenhouse gas emissions from households by 2020. Ministers from the new Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department of Communities and Local Government are expected to publish plans to reduce energy use in UK homes and launch a consultation on the proposals.

Ed Matthew, the head of UK climate at Friends of the Earthwould like to see Government provide eco-makeovers to at least ten million homes, and introduce measures to cut household emissions by two-thirds.

Developers of social housing can benefit from up to 50 percent grant funding towards the cost of the installation of solar power.

Installing renewable technology will dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and can help meet government emission targets.

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