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F&S Energy working with over 1000 Generators

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:41:18 GMT

F&S Energy working with over 1000 Generators

F&S Energy are now buying electricity from well over 1,000 renewable generators throughout the UK. Our market leading prices and top customer service encourages customers to trust and keep doing business with us. This also works to bring in a steady stream of new customers through word of mouth. Keeping to this strategy has allowed us to achieve sustainable growth every year since being founded in 2011.

In addition to this robust organic growth, during this time we have seen other suppliers come and go. In 2020 F&S Energy was able to buy the entire renewable portfolio from Bristol Energy , and earlier this year, we also bought the small-scale PPA portfolio from Limejump together with the associated import customers.

With the renewable electricity we purchase, we have achieved corresponding growth in supplying renewable electricity to customers in the agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors. This allows these electricity consumers to receive locally sourced renewable electricity.

We believe our approach to business is extremely robust and will continue to show sustainable growth year on year into the future. Evidence of this can be seen through the company’s success through both the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge volatility wholesale energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine.

If you would like to do business with us, please contact us today for further information.

F&S Energy Buy the Limejump Renewable Energy Generator Portfolio

Tue, 07 May 2024 10:29:28 GMT

F&S Energy buy the Limejump renewable energy generator portfolio

F&S Energy, a leading independent PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) provider in the United Kingdom, have secured a deal with Limejump Energy to buy the small-scale PPA portfolio which includes all renewable generators that are generating under 50GWh per annum, and the associated import customers.

Moving customers over to F&S Energy began on May 1, 2024. To make the transition as smooth as possible, previously agreed rates will be honoured for a full year before reverting to F&S rates.

F&S Energy purchases power from renewable generators throughout the UK, offering market leading rates and top levels of customer service for all of their clients. They sell the power they purchase on to business customers in the industrial and commercial sector.

F&S Energy has released the following statement: “We are thrilled to take on small-scale customers from Limejump Energy into our portfolio. We thank all members of staff at Limejump Energy, and our team, for their efforts in ensuring a smooth transition of customers. We are appreciative of Ofgem for recognising F&S Energy as a reliable financial party, for generation customers, after successful completion of their trade sale compliance assessment further strengthening our position as a leading UK PPA provider.”

Green City 2023

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 16:24:36 GMT

Green City 2023

We are proud to be lead sponsors of the fantastic event Green City.

Curated by Chelmsford For You, the city’s Business Improvement District, Green City is a fun and inspiring event that will once again bring the city centre to life with a range of FREE family entertainment, whilst raising awareness of environmental issues and educating the public in ways they can be more green.

Green City will be bringing a full programme of events between Monday 21 – Saturday 26 August 2023 across multiple city centre locations. This is designed to touch on and explore a range of key environmental topics in a light-hearted and enjoyable way, including:

Sustainability
Plastic Waste
Green Spaces
Nature and endangered species

The week will provide an opportunity to learn more about the current issues surrounding these topics and how small changes in our daily routines can help preserve our planet and ecosystem.

From Monday 21 – Friday 25 August there will be a daily show and activities/ workshops taking place… all leading to our BIG Green Saturday on the 26 August, which will feature our Green City: Live Music Stage, Green Market, Activities and Walkabout Entertainment.

To find out more about Green City fun and to download the programme to find out all the times and locations you need, click the link to Green City 2023.

Accelerated Loss of Mains Charge Programme

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 09:56:48 GMT

Available still funding for Accelerated Loss of Mains Charge Program

The Accelerated Loss of Mains Change Programme is an industry wide project that is taking place throughout the UK, being run by the National Grid and Distributors. The focus of this programme is to upgrade or replace embedded generation assets where possible. These new requirements will improve long-term energy network stability and prevent any embedded generators from being cut off. If your generator is between 11kW and 50MW and was installed before February 2018, you may have a type of loss of mains protection that is more sensitive and may cause them to unnecessarily trip.

Funding is now available to upgrade your generator to help deliver a zero-carbon electricity grid through the ALoMCP. By applying for this, you could potentially claim thousands of pounds to help make mandatory Loss of Mains protection changes for your sites.

Funding will reduce in Spring in 2022 and the final deadline to apply is 10th May 2022, otherwise generators could be subject to an enforcement programme.

Please follow https://www.ena-eng.org/ALoMCP/ to apply for funding.

Alternatively you can contact your Distributor as they will have an allocated team to give you a hand. If you need any help finding out who your distributor is, please give us a call on 01245 690151 or email us at info@fs-energy.co.uk .

F&S Energy partner with HIT Energy Services

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 15:00:47 GMT

F&S Energy has teamed up with leading solar PV optimising and monitoring company, HIT Energy Services

F&S Energy has teamed up with leading solar PV optimising and monitoring company, HIT Energy Services.
It will mean their hundreds of customers will get market-leading rates for the excess electricity they produce, with this green energy then helping to power the businesses we supply around the U.K.

The UK-based company work with farmers, agricultural firms and landowners on existing systems to carry out a health check and monitor the systems using their award-winning platform.

F&S Energy has provided a route to allow this green energy to be passed on to other environmentally-conscious businesses, with everyone benefitting.

“Because of the rise in energy prices, what is produced from solar is more valuable than ever,” said Simon Hopkins of HIT Energy Services. “We have been keen to help our clients make the most from what they produce and do not use in their business operations. This new partnership is perfect as F&S Energy understands the renewables sector and is as passionate as us about helping people live greener lives.”

F&S Energy managing director Steven Funnell said: “At F&S we have always taken the approach of doing the right thing by our customers and letting our reputation do our marketing for us. We see HIT as a perfect match to partner up with and to offer their services to our customers.”

HIT Energy Services’ work has been recognised with a string of accolades - at Lamma 2020, the company scooped the online innovation award, while it also beat hundreds of other products to be ranked seventh in the Midlands Tech 50 list.

Now, the innovations its engineers have created to make solar a reliable source of power are set to benefit many more businesses.

Simon added: “We have been keen for our industry to help out in this time of crisis, while also providing a boost to the sector. Our link-up with F&S Energy will mean everyone benefits, from the Solar PV owner to the businesses being powered by cheaper, greener energy

Peer-to-Peer Trading is here

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:33:10 GMT

Peer-to-Peer trading has arrived

Since our inception, F&S Energy have been buying power from renewable generators. This allows the owners, or prospective owners, of independent renewable generators a stable and trustworthy route to market and we then supply this green electricity to the commercial and industrial sector.

F&S Energy provides customers with locally sourced renewable electricity and to show where this power has come from, we provide our customers a map showing the type and location of renewable generators in the vicinity that are supplying them with their green power. This has been popular and allows our customers the comfort of knowing their power is really from a renewable source.

The next step was obvious; to connect our customers together to contractually, allow the supply of electricity from a renewable generator directly to an electricity consumer.

How it works

Through working with the Innovation Link team at Ofgem, F&S Energy have developed a pilot scheme whereby peer-to-peer trading is now a reality for our customers. Both generators and consumers can log onto our online portal and find a suitable match for their requirements, entering into a contractual supply arrangement. Examples being a school buying its power directly from a local solar farm, or a milking shed on a farm buying its power directly from a neighbours wind turbine.

F&S Energy facilitate this scheme and provide all of the electricity supplier functions that the generator and consumer can’t be expected to provide. Furthermore any shortfall in the power requirements from the generator will be made up by F&S Energy’s 100% renewable electricity at normal contract rates. Any surplus from the generators will be bought from the generator at normal PPA rates, so neither party will be worse off under this arrangement.

Benefits of peer-to-peer trading

Peer-to-peer trading not only allows consumers to know exactly where their power is coming from and the confidence to know that they are truly being supplied from a renewable source. But also provides a financial benefit for both electricity consumers and the generators through a discount on industry costs.

We see it as a Win-Win situation, so if you would like to hear more and apply to be on our peer-to-peer platform, please get in contact.

Case Study - A Sheep Farm near Truro, Cornwall

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:24:32 GMT

Meet David, a sheep farmer and an F&S Energy renewable energy customer

A new series from F&S Energy in which we meet some of our key customers, connecting the generators with businesses to show who, how and where their green energy they buy comes from.

Firstly we meet David, a sheep farmer and an F&S Energy renewable energy customer. David is new to F&S Energy having moved over to us in our purchase of Bristol Energy’s renewable generator contracts, but has since renewed his contract for another year.

David and his family have farmed sheep near Truro, Cornwall for the past 18 years. But one key difference for David’s farm compared to many of his neighbours is that his farm is run entirely on renewable power that is generated from the wind turbine they’ve installed in the top field, and the solar panels that are installed on their sheep sheds.

We purchase all the excess renewable electricity generated by David’s farm and pass that clean, green power on to our customers. And there is plenty of excess electricity generated.

Great place and space to generate

Cornwall and it position in the UK makes it a perfect place to utilise the natural powers of the earth and convert that into renewable electricity; from strong winds over the winter and glorious sunshine in the summer. The power produced from David’s turbine and solar panels is enough to power the farm and an additional circa 60 homes (based on OFGEMs typical annual consumption figures).

Farmers, like David, often have some space and the right conditions to host different renewable generation assets; such as wind and solar. With the demand for green power increasing, the ability to generate your own and sell the excess can prove to be a create revenue stream for families and farms.

Green for the future

Not only can it be a good source of revenue but, as David puts it “Renewables are the way forward!...... If we’re going to be cutting back on fossil fuels, we’re going to need a lot more renewable energy”

And we completely agree!

Switch your business to F&S Energy to support farmers like David who are helping the UK and the world to become a greener, cleaner place to live, click here to get in touch.

If you wish to sell us your energy, then please get in contact here .

F&S Energy Purchase the Renewable Energy Generator Portfolio from Bristol Energy

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 14:40:39 GMT

F&S Energy purchase the renewable energy generator portfolio from Bristol Energy

F&S Energy, a leading independent PPA provider and FIT licensee, have secured a deal with Bristol Energy to purchase the entire renewable energy generator portfolio (PPA contracts), along with Bristol Energy’s commercial FIT customers and the transfer of 1 staff member.

Earlier this year Bristol City Council announced its intention to put Bristol Energy up for sale, and over the past few months Bristol Energy have been working in the background to find the best placed homes for their customers and contracts. Previously it was announced that the business customers would be moved to Yu Energy and the domestic customers will be transferred over to Together Energy.

Concurrently to this, the deal to place the PPA portfolio was agreed with F&S Energy with the contracts being novated on the 1st of October. The combined contracted capacity moving to F&S is circa 91MW.

F&S Energy purchase power from renewable generators throughout the UK, offering market leading rates and top levels of customer service for all of their clients. They sell the power they purchase on to business customers, providing each customer with 100% true renewable power sourced from local generators at prices that beat traditional suppliers.

Quote from Steven Funnell MD F&S Energy: “We are very pleased that Bristol City Council chose to move Bristol Energy's renewable generator portfolio over to F&S Energy. We welcome these new customers and will continue to give them the excellent customer service that our existing customers have become used to.”

The Smart Export Guarantee

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 09:16:11 GMT

What is the Smart Export Guarantee?

Following the end of the Feed in Tariff scheme in March 2019 the government have introduced the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG).

The purpose of the SEG is to offer a guarantee that generator owners will always receive payment for the power they export to the grid. Since the end of the FIT scheme the number of renewable generators being installed has dropped drastically. This is especially notable for solar installations, in March 2019 there was 79MW of solar installed, compared to 5MW in April 2019. The introduction of SEG is meant to encourage an increase in the amount of renewable generation being installed by offering an incentive to install. This will be particularly useful for domestic installations.

The SEG covers all the generators that used to be covered under the scope of the FIT scheme. Therefore they must be renewable technologies including Solar, Wind, Hydro or Anaerobic digestion under 5MW or micro CHP up to 50kW. It is up to the individual supplier to set their own SEG rate, there is no minimum tariff rate, although this has to be above 0p/kWh.

What this means for existing Feed in Tariff technologies

Although FITs have ended for new technologies, any site already accredited will keep its eligibility under the scheme until its eligibility end date. For some installations this may be up to 20 years in the future. FIT technologies are under no obligation to join the SEG scheme, although they may opt into receiving a SEG tariff if it benefits them more. Generators are unable to claim both the FIT export rate and a SEG tariff at the same time.

What this means for F&S Energy

F&S Energy will be opting in as a voluntary SEG licensee from 1st January 2020. Although the SEG is set up to make sure generator owners are paid for their exported power, it ignores the fact that there is already a competitive export market for non-domestic installations. This means half hourly customers can already get competitive Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). While the SEG focuses on offering a minimum export amount for generators, F&S always look at offering the best price we can to customers with renewable generators.

At F&S Energy, when we generate a PPA quote, we take into account all of the specific details for each site, these include factors such as the type of generation, when it's likely to be exporting power, the current market prices etc. This means we are able to correctly offer the best price at that time for your individual generator. Alternatively the SEG tariffs will be less specific, and are likely to be based more on average prices for the different technologies and so these will be lower than an individually priced PPA created on that day.

F&S believe the value of the SEG lies more in the domestic installations, such as small scale rooftop solar PV, therefore as a half-hourly only supplier this is not as relevant to our customers. Although we will offer SEGs, we believe all our customers would benefit more from bespoke PPA prices, rather than a set price offered to all generators.

Contact us today for a competitive bespoke price for your exported power.

What Exactly is Green Energy, and where does it come from

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 11:21:25 GMT

Green Electricity: What is it and how buying renewable power really works

Increasing awareness of the importance of sustainability and the preservation of natural resources has led consumers to seek ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is by switching to a green energy supply offering. Consumers wishing to support the environment through their choice of electricity supply need access to reliable, verifiable information about the nature of green supply offerings on the market in order to make informed and appropriate choices.

Green energy definitions

The term “green electricity” is not always as transparent as it initially appears. There is no single definition of what constitutes “green”, particularly in relation to energy supply. Ofgem uses the following definitions in their 2002 publication, Guidelines on Green Supply Offerings:

‘Green supply offering’ refers to any contractual arrangement between an electricity supplier and a consumer where it is claimed that the supply will give rise to environmental benefit. These arrangements are variously described elsewhere as ‘green power’, ‘green offerings’ and ‘green tariffs’.
‘Energy-based green offering’ refers to supply contracts where there is a direct relationship between energy supplied and the purchase of energy by the supplier; e.g. the supplier undertakes to match all or a fixed percentage of a consumer’s energy supply with purchases of electricity from renewable sources.

Ofgem’s publication focuses on domestic supply and states that its purpose is not to set a strict definition for what constitutes ‘green energy’, but it is helpful to use these definitions to achieve some general consistency. In the UK green offerings focus on technologies that use renewable energy and minimise, or entirely avoid, emissions of greenhouse gases. The Utilities Act 2000 defines renewable sources as ‘sources of energy other than fossil fuel or nuclear fuel.’

The five main types of renewal energy technologies include:

onshore and offshore wind power;
water (hydro power, wave power and tidal energy);
solar energy (both active and passive solar heating as well as photovoltaics);
geothermal energy;
biofuels (e.g. all types of biomass, including the biodegradable fraction of energy from waste, landfill gas, sewage gas, agricultural and forestry residues, and energy crops).

How having a green electricity supply actually works

The largest electricity suppliers buy electricity generated by a mix of sources from the wholesale market to sell to their consumers. As awareness of environmental issues increases, smaller companies offering renewable electricity are becoming increasingly popular. However, their customers cannot simply be connected directly to a renewable power generator for their energy. None of the suppliers are able to precisely control the megawatts used by their consumers.

With the exception of off-grid installations such as private solar panels on buildings, all the electricity generated by the different sources around the UK goes into the transmission system run by National Grid and local distribution network operators. So, megawatts generated by wind turbines get mixed with those generated by coal power stations, and the electricity entering buildings around the country comes from a mix of sources. However, each consumer’s choice of electricity supplier impacts on the overall mix of electricity in the transmission system.

Renewable suppliers match the amount of electricity their consumers use with the amount they buy from renewable sources; therefore, the more homes and businesses who switch to renewable suppliers, the higher the percentage of renewable energy in the National Grid system. The higher the percentage of renewable energy in the system, the closer we are to achieving a low-carbon economy.

Fuel mix disclosure and Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs)

In 2005, Ofgem introduced a requirement on all electricity suppliers in Great Britain to disclose the mix of fuels used to generate the electricity they supply - coal, gas, nuclear, renewable and other - to current and potential customers. Suppliers that source renewable electricity must hold evidence proving their purchase of the renewable energy. (The Electricity (Fuel Mix Disclosure) Regulations 2005).

Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) are certificates issued by Ofgem; they are granted when a renewable energy installation is accredited with Ofgem through their Renewables and CHP Register, and provide certification that the energy being supplied has been generated from a renewable source. One REGO certificate is issued to generators of renewable energy per megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable output. REGOs can be used as evidence for suppliers’ Fuel Mix Disclosure. All electricity suppliers should have a fuel mix disclosure on their website, showing where their power comes from.

At F&S Energy, we purchase all of our power directly from UK based renewable generators who pass their REGO certificates to us. We match your company’s consumption with this 100% REGO-backed renewable energy, helping you to demonstrate your company’s commitment to environmentally friendly practices and to reach your low carbon goals.

Greenwashing: Buying REGOS

Greenwashing refers to the practice of making misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company practice, usually with the intention of making a company seem more environmentally friendly than they really are. Companies can use false advertising and loopholes to falsely claim that they supply 100% renewable electricity.

Some companies will source REGOs without actually purchasing the renewable electricity related to them, by simply buying surplus REGOs from suppliers who have already supplied their customers and no longer need them, or they buy REGO equivalents which are accepted by Ofgem from overseas. Suppliers that do this may not actually have any contracts in place with renewable generators, but will still claim that the energy they supply is renewable. F&S Energy vehemently condemns this practice as it damages the potential of green supply offerings to bring about environmental improvement and exploits the customers who have made ethical choices. This is why we buy our energy directly from renewable generators within the UK, and our REGOs are genuine and traded with the renewable energy they relate to.

F&S Energy is proud to deliver locally sourced, genuine renewable electricity, and a service our customers trust.

Triple Bottom Line When Sourcing Electricity

Tue, 21 May 2019 14:14:56 GMT

Local Renewable Energy Improves Your Triple Bottom Line

If you’re looking to expand your business by attracting the increasing numbers of customers who want confidence that their purchasing choices are ethical, then start by looking at how you source your energy.

What is The Triple Bottom Line?

The success of a business used to be judged solely in terms of the net profit or loss made by the organisation, but today progressive companies cannot ignore ethical consumerism. Customers still expect value for money, but just as they have always looked at quality as well as price, purchasers increasingly choose the products and services that meet the moral criteria of assisting others and protecting the planet. One only has to look at the banking industry, which stresses ethical investments, and the increasing popularity of “Fairtrade” products in supermarkets, to understand that profit and loss is not the sole factor that attracts customers, or on which a company can be judged.

The concept of a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) takes into account more than just a company’s financial profit; it also considers social and environmental impacts to build an altogether more sustainable model for measuring business success. These can be summarised as the Three Ps: Planet, People, and Profit.

Planet

Awareness of the importance of sustainability and the preservation of natural resources has increased more than ever in recent years. Progressive organisations no longer focus solely on profit and loss. There is the realisation that if sustainability issues are ignored in the present, the price will have to be paid in the future.

By applying the TBL approach, companies can assess how each component of their business affects the environment. By considering factors such as consumption of finite resources, carbon footprint, water consumption, and the amount of waste and pollution produced, companies can take measures to reduce or even eliminate their ecological footprint. By striving for sustainable practices, companies will become more successful in the long run; it will not only make them more efficient but it will also make them more competitive, as consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of green practices.

One of the easiest ways to reduce carbon footprint is to change to a renewable energy supplier. At F&S Energy, none of our supplied energy comes from fossil fuels. We only purchase power from renewable generators across the UK, ensuring that all our electricity supplied to consumers is 100% renewable and REGO backed. In addition to avoiding fossil fuels, we also avoid electricity generated from the burning of imported woodchips from overseas logging operations. Unlike other green energy suppliers, we compete on market prices; our 100% renewable offering does not attract a price premium against traditional brown electricity supply.

People

By applying the TBL approach, companies can measure how their business practices impact on everyone; from the farmers supplying the raw materials, to the company workers and direct customers, to members of the local community.

Recent years have seen a movement to support local businesses. Not only does it improve the local economy, but purchasing locally also reduces carbon footprint. Customers are becoming far more conscious of how their money is spent; they want to know that their money is being ethically used and supporting causes they care about.

At F&S Energy, we only buy energy from 100% renewable generators within the UK. This ensures that, not only is all energy supplied to our consumers 100% green, but also that we are supporting smaller, independent generators and local economies. In addition to this, and especially with the uncertainty of what Brexit will bring, being able to rely on service providers within the UK is crucial for securing a more stable future for Britain as a whole. By using local, renewable energy generated within the UK, we are helping to provide energy security for the UK.

Profit

Ultimately, the financial bottom line is one that all companies share, whether they are using the TBL or not. However, when considering profit from a TBL point of view, the goal is that profits will benefit and sustain the community as a whole, not just the company and shareholders. The TBL approach doesn’t have to be formally implemented into a company’s reporting system if the cost of fully calculating and monitoring the environmental and social impacts is too great. It can still be used to drive improvements in the way a company impacts people and the planet if it is taken as a way of thinking.

For consumers choosing F&S Energy, we will match local renewable generators with your electricity supply needs, at the same price or cheaper than your existing supplier, helping you secure a more sustainable, competitive future for your business.
For generators selling us your renewable energy, you can be assured that you are receiving market leading rates for the purchase of your power, along with a friendly and personal service.

At F&S Energy we firmly believe that the future belongs to clean, renewable energy. By investing in local renewable energy, we are investing in a sustainable and secure future that is supportive of local communities and the UK economy. We want to encourage all other companies to do the same. An easy first step when considering taking the TBL approach is to consider your where your electricity comes from. Why not switch to F&S Energy, a 100% renewable energy supplier at no extra cost?

Imogen Kay, F&S Energy, 21st May 2019

What Happened To The Capacity Market

Tue, 07 May 2019 10:53:39 GMT

EU Court rules the Capacity Market illegal

The capacity market was designed to make sure there is always enough supply to meet peak electricity demand, even on cold and dark winter evenings when there is little wind. It covers the electricity market in Great Britain only, with Northern Ireland being part of an all Ireland scheme.

Contracts were awarded to firms that offered to supply electricity generating capacity during the periods of peak demand and they were obligated to deliver against their Capacity Obligation at any time of System Stress Event during the Delivery Year, or face a financial penalty. The Delivery Year runs from 1 October to 30 September. Firms could also offer to turn down electricity demand instead – a process called demand-side response (DSR).

Existing power plants were able to get contracts for one year at a time, or three years, if they carried out upgrades. New power plants were able to get 15-year deals. However, crucially, DSR were only offered one-year contracts and this is why Tempus Energy – a DSR firm challenged the capacity market approval.

Contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder in a series of auctions. The amount of capacity bought in the auction was decided in advance by the government, based on advice from the electricity system operator, National Grid.

The capacity market was one of two key measures introduced in the 2013 Electricity Market Reform. The other was contracts for difference (CfDs) to support low-carbon electricity generation.

The capacity market aimed to solve the problem that the wholesale electricity market failed to give sufficient incentives to utilities to build new power plants or, in some cases, to keep old plants open until the end of their useful life as subsidised low-carbon sources generate electricity at near-zero marginal cost, depressing wholesale prices. Another is that regulators tend to cap the level that prices can reach when supplies are tight.

Without a solution to this problem, there was a risk that demand would exceed supply, leading to blackouts. Before the 2014 approval, the UK government successfully persuaded the European Commission that the capacity market was needed to prevent such a risk. Since the capacity market was introduced in 2014, negative headlines have dried up and public concern over blackouts has eased.

Critics argued the UK never needed a capacity market and that it was a politically driven project to deliver large new gas-fired power stations, which have not materialised and were also not needed. These critics say capacity needs have been systematically overestimated by an average of 1.5 gigawatts (GW), equivalent to a large coal or gas plant – and that a “strategic reserve” would be cheaper this would hold a few power plants in reserve in case the market failed to deliver.

The capacity market mostly awarded contracts to large old power plants, including the coal-fired power stations that the government wants to close by 2025. This means government policies are pulling in opposite directions - supporting coal, but also encouraging it to close. However, the market has nevertheless brought forward a lot of new capacity nearly 4GW of small new flexible gas and diesel-fired “peakers” have won contracts to date, as well as around 1GW of battery storage.

In total, contracts worth £5.6bn have been awarded under the capacity market so far since 2014. This has been spread through a number of T-4 and T-1 auctions, as well as several one-off rounds covering each winter from 2016/17 through to 2021/22. The main auction is called T-4 because it is held four years in advance. This allows new power stations time to be built. A smaller second auction is held one year ahead (T-1) to fill in any gaps. The T-1 auction is also designed to reserve some capacity for DSR.

Capacity market prices peaked in the 2016 T-4 auction for 2020/21, which cleared at £22.50 per kilowatt (kW). This fell to £8.90/kW in the T-4 auction for 2021/22. The T-1 rounds have been even cheaper, at £6/kW for winter 2018/19 and £6.95/kW for a supplementary auction covering winter 2017/18. In general, prices have come in far lower than expected. This means either that there was a larger pool of available capacity than thought – and, hence, little need for the market – or that the auctions have delivered security of supply so efficiently as to keep costs low for consumers. Most contracts so far have gone to large old power stations. This means the scheme would have paid large sums to these old plants if it had continued – or if it is re-approved without changes.

The EU court ruling has the effect of making the UK’s capacity market illegal. This is because it annulled the 2014 European Commission decision to approve the measure, concluding that the 2014 approval process – which was based on a one-month preliminary “phase 1” investigation – was too short. The approval had: “incomplete and insufficient content owing to the lack of appropriate investigation.” The ruling says the commission should have had “doubts” about whether or not the scheme was compatible with state-aid rules. Consequently, it should have launched a “phase 2” formal investigation into the scheme. Finally, the ruling annuls the 2014 approval.

For the UK government, this ruling is a “procedural” matter for the commission, saying, “The design of the capacity market has not been called into question, and the focus is therefore on ensuring it can be reinstated as soon as possible.”

Capacity market participants were informed by the GB electricity system operator that the judgement merely “suspends” the scheme and that it will be on hold until “[it] can be approved again”. This language hints at an expectation that the scheme can be re-approved as-is. The commission itself also appears to be viewing the ruling as a largely procedural matter.

“However, the reason the court upheld the challenge was precisely because of the serious concerns raised by the design of the scheme. Therefore, the nature of the capacity market was very much at the heart of the decision.” The court ruling did not adjudicate on the substance of the concerns raised by Tempus Energy’s case. It merely says that their existence should have given rise to “doubts” – a legally defined term in this context – and that this alone should have triggered further investigation. Nevertheless, the ruling will effectively force the commission to consider the concerns of Tempus and others during the formal investigation that it now seems committed to launch. During this process, it will have to gather evidence from interested parties – a step it failed to take in 2014.

Generators will be without their expected capacity payments this winter. This ruling also means considerable uncertainty about how the capacity market will operate going forwards. As a result, some will be considering early closure, or putting planned projects on hold.”

After the ruling, the UK government quickly announced that the market would enter a period of “standstill”, during which no payments would be made and no further auctions would be held. This move was required under the UK’s capacity market legislation. The government says it is: “Considering the judgement in detail alongside the European Commission, and is working to support the commission as they consider the legal options available to them.”

One option is for the commission to appeal the ruling within two months – the UK government cannot do so – but an appeal could take many months and would have an uncertain outcome.

Instead, the commission will probably have to go through its formal investigation process in order to re-approve the scheme. The GB system operator says it “can’t speculate” on how long this will take. It also appears likely that the UK scheme will require amendments before it can be re-approved. This is because it was the first capacity market considered by the European Commission and, hence, was something of a test case.

Changes to the French and Polish schemes before they were approved included allowing power plants in other member states to enter the market, giving preference to low-carbon generators and giving greater access to DSR participants in contrast to the British scheme. The UK scheme only allows the cables that supply power from neighbouring countries to participate, not the foreign power plants themselves. It also restricts DSR providers to one-year contracts – not the 15-year deals available to new power stations – whereas the Polish market offers DSR contracts of up to five years.

Another complication is the capacity payments already made so far. The lion’s share of these – some £378m – were made under a one-off supplementary auction for last winter, which has separate state-aid approval. This means they are not immediately rendered illegal by the EU ruling, which only annulled the main 2014 approval. Yet they could still fall foul of this process later on. The lower amounts paid so far under the main capacity market scheme, meanwhile, are technically illegal and could be subject to claw-back. The government says it “is taking no steps to recover payments at this stage, and hopes that this can be avoided”. The UK’s decision to leave the EU makes for yet another complication in this process. It is due to leave at the end of October 2019, by when the capacity market case is unlikely to have been resolved. However, under the draft UK-EU withdrawal agreement, EU state-aid rules would continue to apply during a transition phase until 2021 or 2022. The draft political statement on the future UK-EU relationship, meanwhile, also says the UK would maintain a “level playing field” on state-aid.

There are two strands of reform that could force change on the UK capacity market, regardless of the EU ruling and any re-approval for the existing scheme. The first is the UK’s own five-year review of its EMR policies, including the capacity market. The government has already issued a call for evidence on this and had been thought to be considering changes including allowing subsidy-free wind farms to compete for capacity contracts. The second is an EU electricity market reform package that is due to be finalised in December. This could impose a ban on capacity payments to new plants emitting more than 550gCO2 per kilowatt hour from 2025, with payments to existing plants decreasing from 2025 and ending by 2030. If agreed, this would effectively rule out contracts for coal in the longer term.

The UK government says it remains committed to the capacity market and will seek its re-approval as soon as possible. Pending this re-approval, it will seek one-off permission to run a capacity market for next winter. The auction would need to take place next year and would need to at least be in the pipeline before any power stations decided to close. As explained in more detail, below, closures are most likely to be announced before April 2019. This means the timelines are extremely tight. Meanwhile, the government is telling generators that they should continue to abide by their capacity market contracts, even though the contracts currently hold no legal force.

The uncertainty created by the EU ruling also extends to larger gas plants that were due to be built. The “Keadby 2” gas plant in Lincolnshire has already broken ground and may still go ahead, whereas a planned plant at the site of the former Eggborough coal plant in Yorkshire had yet to secure a capacity contract and may be put on hold. For French nuclear operator EDF, the longer-term future of the UK capacity market will weigh on its decision to invest in extending the life of its current reactor fleet.

On 10 April 2019, the Electricity Capacity (No. 1) Regulations 2019 and the related amendments to the Capacity Market Rules came into force. The Secretary of State subsequently determined that the delayed T-1 Auction should be rearranged.

The letter from the Secretary of State to the Delivery Body confirming this decision has been published on the BEIS website. It can be found here .

As a result of this decision, the delayed 2018 T-1 Capacity Market Auction Timeline (for October 2019 delivery) has been finalised.

Key dates:

Auction Withdrawal Window opens 12-25 April 2019

Auction Webinar 30 April 2019

T-1 Mock Auction 31 May 2019

T-1 Auction 11-12 June 2019

F&S Energy 100% renewable and no longer supplies brown power

Mon, 18 Jun 2018 11:09:03 GMT

F&S Energy are providing 100% UK based renewable electricity to all its energy consumers

F&S Energy purchase power from renewable generators right throughout Britain, from wind turbines on the islands off the north coast of Scotland, to hydro electric plants in the mountains of Wales, down to solar farms in the westerly tip of Cornwall. Where you see a local renewable generator in your area, there is a very good chance that they are selling their power to F&S Energy. Due to this success, all power supplied by F&S Energy to electricity consumers is now 100% renewable, UK generated, REGO backed renewable electricity. This is a milestone that F&S intends to continue into the future, and F&S Energy have now stopped offering brown power to new supply customers.

Although brown power is no longer supplied to consumers, unlike other green suppliers it will continue to compete on price with a purely green offering. This 100% green offering will not attract a price premium against traditional brown electricity supply.

As well as avoiding all fossil fuels, F&S also avoids electricity generated from the burning of woodchips which have been imported into the UK from overseas logging operations and encourages other green suppliers to do the same.

Prices of solar panels continue to decrease

Fri, 14 Oct 2016 08:37:05 GMT

Prices of solar panels continue to decrease

Researchers have found that since the 1980’s, the prices of solar panels have continued to decrease at a rate of 10% per year. This progressive fall in price has in fact lead to a historically significant event to occur where from April to September solar outstripped coal in UK electricity generation, as reported by The Guardian.

Researchers at Oxford University have noted that this plummeting price of solar power is a result of the falling cost of actual solar equipment. It’s noted that due to the continuous development of technology and continuous investment, companies are now able to produce more efficient solar panels for a fraction of the price. Meaning that using the sun as a means of generating power has changed from a fantasy to reality. Therefore, a 4kWh system which would have cost around £10,000- £12 000 a few years ago is now worth £6,500 with the price decreasing rapidly as the years go by. This decreasing price is also a result of a drop in the installation costs of actual solar panels, 5% for rooftop residential systems, and 12% for larger utility-scale solar farms. Installation costs have continued to decrease even though the price of the solar panels has remained relatively flat since 2012. Installation prices have continued to decrease because the cost of the inverters that convert the DC power produced by solaPrir panels to AC power for the grid and other “soft” costs such as customer acquisition, system design, installation and permitting have all decreased.

If this is not a big enough incentive to make the switch to solar power, the temptation of FIT (Feed-in Tariff) payments should be more than enough to encourage anyone to use solar power. The FIT scheme is a government funded program which pays tariffs to individuals who use renewable sources as a means of generating power, as long as they meet the requirements. So not only would there be limited expenditure, generators would earn a subsidy for producing renewable energy, Solar PV included. F&S Energy Ltd is a FIT Licensee meaning that we are licensed by Ofgem to authorise FIT payments to individual generators.

If you are considering utilising these low solar PV prices and the FIT scheme it would be wise to do this sooner rather than later considering that as these prices continue to drop, so does the FIT payment. However, despite this the plummeting costs of solar power makes solar PV cost effective in many cases, delivering earnings and savings on average, around £8,080 over a period of 20 years.

Generation from coal falls to 0% for first time in 100 years.

Mon, 23 May 2016 08:33:28 GMT

Historic Milestone for Britain as generation from coal falls to 0% for the first time in 100 years.

It was a historic milestone for Britain recently when it was documented that zero coal was being used in the UK fuel mix to generate electricity. Between the days of Monday, May 9th right through to the following Sunday we saw on seven occasions that zero coal was being used to generate electricity; coal electricity consumption was at zero late Monday night and for the early hours of Tuesday morning, also on Thursday there was not any electricity from coal for more than twelve and a half hours. Instead a mixture of gas, nuclear and wind was used.

This has been said not to have happened since 1882, according to the Carbon Brief website which reports on climate science and energy policy. Many say it is probably a result of the rise of renewable energy being used instead such as wind, solar, and hydro - April was the first month ever when power from wind farms outstripped coal, and last week we saw solar generate more electricity over a week than the fossil fuel for the first time. It is also said to have happened due to falling power prices, which has made it increasingly uneconomical to run coal-fired power stations. Analysis suggests that coal power stations need a power price of about £40 per megawatt hour to make them worth running, and this is simply just not happening as the average price for last week was just £29 per megawatt hour, and therefore several coal power stations encountered many problems which led to the National Grid having to issue emergency requests for more power. In March two of Britain's biggest coal power stations closed completely due to these problems. This is not the end for UK coal power just yet, but Britain is getting closer to closing all coal-fired power stations down.

Managing Director of F&S Energy, Steven Funnell says: " This is good news, this event shows us that our future can be fossil-fuel free and much greener. To see Wind and Solar outperform coal for the first time in the UK is a big turning point and It proves that our energy is becoming cleaner with renewable sources. This truly does mark an historic turning point in the UK and makes us optimistic on a much more renewable energy focused future, it is the kind of change that we want to happen."

Coal has been a major source of fuel to power Britain's electricity for many years, nevertheless we are now seeing a shift towards a much greener alternative.

F&S Energy signs up 300th generator

Mon, 16 May 2016 23:00:00 GMT

F&S Energy signs up 300th Generator

Here at F&S Energy we are pleased to announce we have signed up our 300th generator. 2016 has been a good year for us despite the government cutting feed-in tariffs, drastically reducing the numbers of new renewable generators being built. This outcome demonstrates our approach of an open and honest commitment to delivering value for money and customer service is appreciated by our growing customer base as word spreads.

At F&S Energy we buy power from renewable generators right across the UK which we then use to supply electricity to businesses throughout the country. We offer market leading rates to small generators in return for the their power. Based in Chelmsford, Essex, we have generators all over the country and pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service to all of our customers.

Managing Director of F&S Energy, Steven Funnell says "We are very pleased with this milestone, we have come a long way and now that we have signed up our 300th generator, we hope to keep signing up more and more! This is the result of our hard work and everyone at F&S Energy couldn't be happier."

We are extremely proud of this achievement as we reach another milestone we have set ourselves and continue to develop the company.

F & S Energy fuel mix: 100% of electricity supplied by renewables

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 08:57:16 GMT

F & S Energy Fuel Mix: 100% of electricity supplied by renewables

F & S Energy are pleased to announce that from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015 all electricity supplied was sourced from renewables.

At F & S Energy we buy power from small generators in order to supply electricity to businesses throughout the country. We are able to offer market leading rates to small renewable generators in return for their power. Using this strategy, we have been able to meet all of our supply with renewable electricity generation.

We are particularly proud of this achievement as it shows our commitment to both the environment and small electricity generators.

Renewable power no longer exempt under Climate Change Levy

Wed, 08 Jul 2015 23:00:00 GMT

George Osborne has announced that the government is to remove the exemption of green power under the Climate Change Levy

George Osborne has announced that the government is to remove the exemption of green power under the Climate Change Levy (CCL).

Under the previous arrangement businesses could purchase Levy Exemption Certificates from renewable generators meaning they would not have to pay the Climate Change Levy, a tax applied on the energy delivered to non-domestic energy users. In turn, renewable generators would receive this payment as an added source of revenue for their electricity (£5/MWh).

According to RenewableUK this equates to the loss of 6% of onshore wind generators’ revenues. The loss to the green power industry as whole is estimated to be £910million by 2020.

On announcing the removal of the exemption, George Osborne said “we will remove the out-dated Climate Change Levy exemption for renewable electricity that has seen taxpayer money benefitting electricity generation abroad.”

In recent times a growing proportion of Levy Exemption Certificates have been bought from abroad, representing a loss of tax revenue the government, which is one of the reasons cited by the Chancellor for scrapping the exemption.

Consumer group Which? warns government on green energy subsidies

Wed, 11 Jun 2014 09:10:39 GMT

Government warning on green energy subsidies

Which? The leading consumer group has warned Ed Davey, energy and climate change secretary, that his proposed subsidy scheme will encourage the construction of more high-cost energy projects such as wind farms that might not be profitable or deliver value for money.

Which? Has written to Ed Davey saying that plans for electricity market reform, "could result in expensive generation projects being prioritised over cheaper, more cost-effective options".
The letter reflects the growing concern about the cost of the low-carbon agenda, an issue that has been raised by energy-intensive businesses and Conservative backbenchers.
This comes following the day that Ofgem, the energy regulator, warned the big six were in danger of further damaging and undermining the trust in the industry by failings to pass on wholesale price reduction to their retail consumers.
Which? Insists it promotes and supports a 'green' revolution and does not want to pick winners and losers in the renewable energy sector but believe the Contract for Difference (CfD) subsidy is flawed.

"It is vital that any measure that adds costs to consumers' bills is closely scrutinised at a time when energy prices are the top financial concern for customers. Whilst there has been a lot of welcome attention given to tackling the immediate cost of energy bills, Which? Believes that more attention needs to be done to address energy costs in the long term,"

Richard Lloyd, the Which? Executive director wrote in his letter to Davey regarding the plans.
"Could result in expensive generation projects being prioritised over cheaper, more cost-effective options. The absence of full completion from the Contracts for Difference process at the outset risks priority being given to investment that may not deliver value for money for customers."

Which? would prefer ministers to introduce competition between different kinds of technologies, onshore and offshore wind for example, as well as between operators.
A briefing document sent with the letter says it is unclear how there would be any price competition for offshore wind with the current arrangement. "In our view it is not appropriate to shield offshore wind developers from competitive cost pressures... there are a wide range of costs across offshore wind projects but accurate cost information is hard to come by. Allocating subsidy competitively is the best way of revealing this information."

The coalition government has partly prioritised more costly offshore wind over cheaper onshore wind in its calculations because of huge opposition to the latter from backbench Conservatives and some local communities.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said that CfDs provided the most efficient and effective long-term support for low-carbon generation – including nuclear, renewable and carbon capture and storage. "They give greater certainty and stability of revenues by removing exposure to volatile wholesale prices, and protect consumers from paying for support when electricity prices are high."

"This consequently makes the development of low carbon generation cheaper for both investors and consumers, and it is suitable for all forms of low carbon generation".

Michael Fallon, the energy minister who also received the letter from Which?, said at the opening of RenweableUK's Global Offshore Wind conference in Glasgow: "Offshore wind isn't just an energy sector, it's a growth sector- and its vital that as the offshore wind sector grows, its strengthens its contribution to economic growth and creating jobs in the UK- more than 6,000 people are directly employed in the industry, with a similar number of indirect jobs in the supply chain."

UK rooftops to become power stations

Fri, 04 Apr 2014 09:15:05 GMT

Plans to turn the Government estate, factories, supermarkets and car parks into “solar hubs” have been outlined in a new strategy by Greg Barker

Energy Minister Greg Barker has today announced plans to turn the Government estate as well as factories, supermarkets and car parks into "solar hubs" as part of a new strategy.

The Solar Strategy, the first of its kind in the UK, sets out Government ambition to see solar rolled out more widely and with it the potential to support tens of thousands of jobs.

Launching the Solar Strategy at SunSolar Energy in Birmingham, Energy Minister Greg Barker said:

"We have put ourselves among the world leaders on solar and this ambitious Strategy will place us right at the cutting edge.

"There is massive potential to turn our large buildings into power stations and we must seize the opportunity this offers to boost our economy as part of our long term economic plan.

"Solar not only benefits the environment, it will see British job creation and deliver the clean and reliable energy supplies that the country needs at the lowest possible cost to consumers."

Growth is now being focussed on opening up the solar market for the UK's estimated 250,000 hectares of south facing commercial rooftops. Solar increasingly offers efficient and cost effective onsite generation opportunities to both businesses and domestic consumers, and the strategy makes a step change in the ambition for both to generate renewable energy.

In a further initiative, the Department for Education is working on ways to improve energy efficiency across the 22,000 schools in England, to reduce their annual energy spend of £500 million. The initiative will encourage the deployment of PV on schools alongside promoting energy efficiency.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

"Solar panels are a sensible choice for schools, particularly in terms of the financial benefits they can bring. It is also a great way for pupils to engage with environmental issues and think about where energy comes from."

Currently, over half a million buildings already use solar and with the cost of solar falling it is becoming more attractive for households, communities, and businesses to invest.

With this, the Government is leading by example and aims to turn its buildings and brownfield sites into power stations by installing solar PV on its estate.

This Strategy follows the “Roadmap to a Brighter Future” which was published last October. It looks to showcase how the UK is at the forefront of innovation in solar PV and its importance in driving further cost reduction, meeting the challenges of balancing the electricity system, securing carbon lifecycle benefits, and identifying new financial models to help households invest.

Energy reforms to support jobs, and produce clean energy

Thu, 19 Dec 2013 10:21:35 GMT

Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan published

An estimated £110 billion of private sector investment into the electricity sector is set to be unlocked with the publication of the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan.

The investment is needed by 2020 alongside measures that will improve the security of the supply of electricity, now made possible by the Energy Bill receiving Royal Assent yesterday.

This now provides the confidence needed to investors and the industry to provide investment to the energy sector and additionally makes it a legal obligation of the Government to ensure the UK's energy generation capacity is maintained, whilst also reducing emissions.

The new measures will support up to a quarter of a million jobs, 200,000 of which will be 'green' jobs in the renewable energy sector.

Over £31 billion has already been invested in renewable generator projects since 2010, and this is expected to attract a further £40 billion of investment by 2020. This would reduce carbon emissions by around 20 million tonnes and would provide enough electricity to power 10 million houses.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Edward Davey said;

"We have driven the Energy Bill through Parliament on time to send out a clear signal to investors and industry. We have delivered the certainty they need and confirmed Britain's position as one of the most attractive countries in the world to invest in energy generation."

"We are now able to build on the measures already in place to deliver cleaner energy, affordable bills, energy security and the creation of thousands of skilled green jobs across the UK."

Additional announcements have been given alongside the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan today:

The first EMR Delivery Plan sets out strike prices for renewable technologies under Contracts for Difference (CfD) as well as the analysis that underpins these decisions.

Accompanying the Plan is an updated version of the CfD, with improvements to the contract terms to support the ability of developers to bring forward investment at lower cost to consumers. Coupled with the strike prices, this package will make the UK market one of the most attractive countries in the world for clean energy developers.

The Government is considering the introduction of competition for more established low carbon technologies once the CfD regime is introduced, pending a decision on this in early 2014. This falls in line with new EU guidelines laid out on competition.

The Government has issued draft investment contracts to the sixteen new renewables projects that have progressed to the next stage of the 'FID Enabling for Renewables process'. Ten of these projects have been informed they are provisionally affordable under the budget caps announced on 4th December, but all are able to remain in the process until it is completed, and the contracts are awarded, due in spring 2014.

A Capacity Market is to be introduced which will work by providing regular payments to capacity providers so that they are available to generate energy when capacity is tight, or face penalties. This will drive investment in generation whilst ensuring costs are kept low. The Government today confirmed the level of system security that will be needed under this mechanism.

Ofgem has also today approved a request from National Grid to develop new services to ensure that we have adequate capacity in the period before the Capacity Market is up and running. This will see existing and mothballed facilities becoming available to generate power to meet additional demand as required.

Energy Saving Tips for Businesses

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Energy saving tips for businesses from F & S Energy

Turn off unneeded lighting – encourage staff to be aware of the lights that are switched on around them and turn off any that are not currently needed. Many lights are left switched on and are not used for a large part of the day.

Don’t leave office equipment on standby – ensure the monitors, printers and other equipment in the office is turned off instead of left on standby. Also ensure things such as laptops are not left on charge unnecessarily.

Motivate your staff – encourage your employees to draw up an action plan and assign responsibilities to different members of staff, provide them goals and an incentive for doing it.

Be energy aware with new purchases – when purchasing new office equipment, look for equipment that promotes energy efficiency for example computers, monitors and printers that automatically power down during extended inactivity.

Take regular meter readings – keeping track of how much energy you are using will help you see what improvements are working best and where you are saving the most energy, helping you plan further improvements.

Don’t let heat escape – double glazing will cut heat loss via windows by 50% and draught proofing will also make a significant impact on the amount of heating that is retained in the building. Well insulated buildings will use much less energy as heat is retained.

Solar PV central to growth of renewables says MP Greg Barker

Mon, 07 Oct 2013 23:00:00 GMT

"Sensitively-sited solar PV energy will be central to the growth of renewables in Britain".

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker spoke today at the Solar Energy UK conference to say that "sensitively-sited solar PV energy will be central to the growth of renewables in Britain".

Within his speech, Minister Baker set out how the government will achieve their ambition to see 20GW deployed by 2020 and introduced the new 'Solar PV Strategy Roadmap'.

Minister Barker said "Under the policies this government has put in place, we have seen an unprecedented growth in solar electricity over recent years – with installed capacity increasing from 94 MW at the end of 2010 to a staggering 2,413 MW at the end of June 2013. Solar PV has now taken its rightful place as a mainstream renewable energy technology and at the centre of the Government's policies to achieve our 2020 renewable energy targets."

"But there is more to do. As the sector enters a period of relative stability, now is the right time for Government to consider what more we need to do, working with the industry, to ensure the solar PV sector can achieve a bright, sustainable future."

The new solar PV roadmap announced today sets out four main principles, forming the basis of the Government's strategy for solar PV.

Support for solar PV should allow cost-effective projects to proceed and to make a cost-effective contribution to UK carbon emission objectives in the context of overall energy goals – ensuring that solar PV has a role alongside other energy generation technologies in delivering carbon reductions, energy security and affordability for consumers.
Support for solar PV should deliver genuine carbon reductions that help meet the UK’s target of 15 per cent renewable energy from final consumption by 2020 and in supporting the decarbonisation of our economy in the longer term – ensuring that all the carbon impacts of solar PV deployment are fully understood.
Support for solar PV should ensure proposals are appropriately sited, give proper weight to environmental considerations such as landscape and visual impact, heritage and local amenity, and provide opportunities for local communities to influence decisions that affect them.
Support for solar PV should assess and respond to the impacts of deployment on: grid systems balancing; grid connectivity; and financial incentives – ensuring that we address the challenges of deploying high volumes of solar PV.

The official publication of the Government's Solar PV Strategy will be released in Spring 2014.