One of our sources in DCENR informs us that the department is set to go to consultation "within a month or so" on a new renewable energy feed in tariff scheme - including microgenerators - and, separately, a renewable heat incentive scheme. The RHI scheme is apparently driven by the conclusions of last year's Bioenergy Plan, so we can expect biomass burners to feature prominently. Interested parties involved in heat pumps or solar thermal - as well as biomass - would be well advised to contact the renewable energy section of DCENR urgently to attempt to influence the consultation document while they're being drafted. Click here for their contact details.
For our part, we've already warned the department of the need to take great care in announcing incentives of this nature, to avoid creating uncertainty in the minds of consumers. We've suggested that when they announce the consultation, they must state that any consumers who buy eligible renewable energy systems from now on will qualify for incentives, to prevent potential buyers from holding off on buying, which would hurt the industry in the short term. It remains to be seen whether our warning falls on deaf ears, but it may help if the renewable energy sector emphasizes the risks in terms of job losses to the department before they launch the consultation.
The department's press office sidestepped a list of questions we put to them on both schemes, stating "It is intended to publish the relevant consultation documents shortly. It is premature to address these queries prior the consultation."
