Renewable Energy Installer November 2015 | Page 13

Opinion
Changes to government schemes in
the renewables sector
Gordon Moran, writing for the European Energy Centre
(EEC), explores alternative avenues available in light
of changes to renewable energy schemes by the UK
government
here has been a great deal of press
recently about changes to levels
of support for renewable energy
with early closure of some subsidy
programmes and reductions in others. Whilst
this has meant reductions in support for
certain schemes and types of technology, the
effect has been varied across the renewable
sector as a whole.
The main changes will be an early
closure in the subsidy for onshore wind farms,
reduction in level of support for solar PV
installations and removing guaranteed levels
of support for biomass. Whilst these proposals
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are now government policy, legal challenges
may well alter these plans. In addition to this,
the devolved parliament, assemblies and local
governments across the UK have decision
making abilities that can affect renewables
policy on a regional level. For example, the
Scottish Parliament has pledged to honour
solar panel contracts’ ‘grandfather’ clause,
providing support that may not be available
from the UK government in future. Such
actions may pave the way for the Welsh or
Northern Irish assemblies or local government
throughout the UK to introduce their own
schemes, opening up new avenues of funding.
Community energy initiatives and
the renewable heat incentive schemes
also still remain in place alongside energy
efficiency measures such as the Affordable
Warmth Obligation. Other technologies with
significant growth potential are also receiving
consistent levels of government support with
subsidies remaining for offshore wind, and
wave and tidal power continuing to receive
investment.
To learn more about renewable energy
and energy efficiency through learning
courses visit: www.EUenergycentre.org
Talking point
Liz MacFarlane, Zenex Solar, takes stock of the
atmosphere at last month’s Solar Energy UK exhibition
he Zenex exhibition stand is
always a vibrant feature of
Solar Energy UK, but this year
we attended with trepidation
given the uncertainty created by DECC
announcing their consultation around
potential FiT cuts.
I guess by the time this article is
published we will know the results, and if
the government has listened to industry
lobbying. Whatever the news, it’s irrelevant
to the 1,000-or-so former employees of
Mark Group who were made redundant in
mid-October because of the ensuing loss
of confidence in the UK market. No wonder
the energy secretary chose not to accept
her invitation to attend SEUK or to give
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airtime to the solar installer who was in the
audience during her stint on Question Time.
As the world shook its head at the
way the UK government is trouncing our
renewables market, I realised I needn’t have
been nervous about exhibiting at SEUK.
The expo was buzzing with entrepreneurial
spirit and even a few new market entrants.
Battery storage was high on the agenda
and business leaders were planning their
route in to 2016, through an expected quiet
first-part of the year and then onwards in to
a more stable, if much smaller PV market.
Diversification seems to be the name of the
game.
Our parent company Segen have agreed
several relationships for diverse UK supply
next year. We are working with key PV and
battery storage manufacturers, including
Tesla StorEdge Powerwall, to form a core
part of our continuing UK business and
expansion in to other worldwide markets.
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