Grants for Household Renewables - Renewable Heat Premium Payment

25 July 2011

Householders across the country could get up to £1,250 of government funding to help towards the cost of installing renewable heating systems such as biomass boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels. 

The Government's new £15 million 'Renewable Heat Premium Payment' scheme - which will open for applications on 1st August this year until March next year - will support up to 25,000 installations.

The scheme will be mainly focused at around 4 million households in Great Britain not heated by mains gas, who have to rely on higher carbon forms of heating which also tend to be more expensive than gas, such as heating oil and electric fires to keep warm.

Biomass is UK's 'most important' renewable energy resource

Monday 11 October 2010

Climate change minister Greg Barker has described biomass as the UK's "single most important" renewable energy resource on account of its versatility in producing heat, electricity and transport biofuels.  Speaking at the Renewable Energy Association's (REA) annual bioenergy conference and exhibition in Warwickshire last week (October 6), Mr Barker said that the biomass sector was expected to contribute around half of the UK's renewable energy targets by 2020.

Renewable Heat Incentive Consultation published

Tuesday 02 February 2010

On 1st February 2010, the Government published a consultation on the proposed design of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, which it aims to introduce in April 2011. The consultation seeks views on a number of aspects of the proposed scheme, including tariff levels.

Following research published for the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation last year on the prospects for renewable heat in the UK, the DECC commissioned further research by NERA and AEA on the UK supply curve for renewable heat. The purpose of the analysis was to validate and expand existing analysis on the potential deployment for renewable heat technologies leading up to 2020 and to look into the potential contribution of the industrial and commercial/public sectors. The data resulting from this study has played a key role in helping to design the structure of the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Third Round of the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme

10th December 2009

A third round of the SBHS was announced by Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism in the Scottish Parliament on 25th November 2009.

The £3.3 million Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme is Scotland-wide, funded by Scottish Government, Forestry Commission Scotland and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).  The SBHS provides grants for the installation of biomass heating systems in business premises and district heating demonstrators. The SBHS will support small-medium sized enterprises, and is restricted to heat-only biomass applications. The Scottish Government particularly welcome applications for district heating demonstrators from private developers. 


The closing date for the third round is 12th February 2010.

Green Energy Centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary approved

Friday 02 October 2009

Work on a new £10m green energy centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary could get underway later this month after the plans won approval from city councillors yesterday.

NHS Grampian has been granted planning permission to demolish the existing boiler house at the Foresterhill hospital to make way for the new environmentally-friendly power centre.

A 114ft chimney-stack would rise from the new building, which will house a combined heat and power plant, as well as a biomass boiler run on wood chips.

About 90% of the entire hospital site is to be powered by the eco-friendly centre, which could potentially save taxpayers and regional health chiefs more than £2million in energy bills, once it is up and running in spring 2011.

 

Turriff Show 2009

Wednesday 29 July 2009

NEWFuel will be exhibiting at this year’s Turriff Show on Sunday 2^nd and Monday 3^rd August.  Come and visit us on Stand 200 and see our woodchipper in action…. 

Forestry Commission Scotland strengthens support for business development

Friday 01 May 2009

People, communities and companies looking to establish or develop forestry sector businesses were today (Friday 1 May) encouraged to take advantage of support from Forestry Commission Scotland. 



Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, highlighted the Commission’s renewed commitment to enterprise, as outlined in its new strategy document 'Supporting Business Development. 



During a visit to James Jones & Sons, sawmill in Mosstodloch, Mr Lochhead said: 

“The Commission has developed this support framework to encourage business development on the national forest estate. 



“It will also stimulate economic development in the wider Scottish forestry sector - a mainstay of rural communities and local economies – creating skilled employment, creating jobs and creating new investment opportunities 




“This commitment to support business development will have a positive impact on Scotland’s forest tourism sector, our renewable energy sector and on a host of small businesses across the country. 


The Commission aims to offer support across the whole spectrum of the forestry industry, where there are gaps in provision from other agencies, in order to deliver economic, environmental or social public benefits.

Carbon Trust calls for massive switch to biomass heating

Thursday 22 January 2009

Wood-based heating systems offer cost and carbon savings to businesses and the public sector. Businesses and public sector organisations could benefit by switching from oil, gas and electric heating to biomass, according to "Biomass Heating, A Practical Guide", published today by the Carbon Trust. Financial pressures and the coldest start to a winter in over 30 years make reducing heating bills a priority. However, by working with biomass heating projects across the UK, the Carbon Trust has found that a lack of understanding of the technology and its potential benefits is preventing wider uptake. 

Biomass heating offers most significant cost savings in parts of the UK which are not currently on the gas grid. For example, using wood or straw can provide cost savings of 2-4 p/kWh (pence per kilowatt hour) relative to use of heating oil. A biomass system generating 1,600MWh of heat (roughly equivalent to the annual heating requirements of a typical school) could therefore save up to £50,000 per year on fuel costs relative to an existing oil-based heating system. The costs of biomass fuels also tend to be much less volatile than fossil fuels.

Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme opens for applications

Friday 19 December 2008

A £2 million scheme to increase the use of wood fuel used for heating is open for business.

Applications are being invited for the Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme, which will give grants of up to £100,000 to small and medium sized businesses to install renewable heating systems.

To reach European climate change targets, the Government wants to increase by tenfold the amount of renewables used for heating in Scotland.

Energy Minister Jim Mather said: 
"Almost half of the energy used in Scotland goes towards heating and hot water. 
"The ambition in our draft Renewable Energy Framework is to massively increase the use of renewable heat - from less than one per cent to 11 per cent by 2020. That's in line with our desire to meet tough European climate change targets and make Scotland the green energy capital of Europe. 
"There is a huge opportunity for Scotland and Scottish business to use more biomass heating, especially in areas not connected to the gas grid. We have the available forestry resource and the use of wood fuel will stimulate a diverse and vibrant Scottish heat market, while creating green jobs, supporting rural economies and cutting emissions."

The Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme will be managed in partnership between Scottish Government and Forestry Commission Scotland. £2 million is available under the scheme, £1 million for 2009-10 and £1 million 2010-11. 
The scheme is targeted at businesses, specifically small-medium sized enterprises. The scheme will also encourage the development of district heating demonstrators from private developers.

The maximum grant will be £100,000, although additional support for district heating projects may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

The National Forest Estate - the key to a wealthier and greener Scotland

Wednesday 05 November 2008

Major new plans to use Scotland’s forests to boost economic growth and increase renewable energy capacity were unveiled by Minister for the Environment, Michael Russell, today (4th November).

A consultation paper – Climate Change and the National Forest Estate in Scotland – outlines proposals to:

- Develop renewable energy projects to help the Scottish Government meet its ambitious greener energy targets

- Plant more trees as part of plans to increase the area of Scotland covered in woodland by the second half of this century.

The consultation – part of the Scottish Recovery Plan for the economy - urges local communities, the forestry sector and private landowners to help identify new ideas and opportunities for making the national forest estate work harder.

Salmond announces £100m biomass energy site

Tuesday 22 July 2008

The biggest green energy plant of its kind in the UK is being built in Scotland, First Minister Alex Salmond announced yesterday amid warnings soaring gas prices could push household gas and electricity bills to £1000 a year. 

Using discarded wooden furniture destined for landfill and virgin timber from trees for fuel, the £100m-plus biomass facility in Fife could produce enough electricity to power a city the size of Dundee.  

The plant will generate adequate power to meet 6% of the Scottish Government's renewable energy targets, the first of which states that by 2011 - when the plant should be operational - 31% of the nation's electricity must be produced through renewables.

Turriff Show 2008

Wednesday 16 July 2008

 

NEWFuel will be exhibiting at this year’s Turriff Show on Sunday 3^rd and Monday 4^th August.  Come and visit us on Stand 44 and see our woodchipper in action….

UK Renewable Energy Strategy Consultation

Thursday 26 June 2008

This consultation seeks views on how to drive up the use of renewable energy in the UK, as part of our overall strategy for tackling climate change, and to meet our share of the EU target to source 20% of the EU’s energy from renewable sources by 2020. 

Responses to this consultation will help shape the UK Renewable Energy Strategy, which will be published in spring 2009, once the UK’s share of the target has been agreed. 

For access to the Consultation Documents see the BERR website(www.berr.gov.uk).

 

Actions to boost Renewable Energy Forms in Scotland Announced