export tariffs

The UK cities of Bristol and Plymouth and the county of Devon will get £1.9 million to develop energy efficiency, sustainability, and clean energy projects. Bristol in 2014 received a £50 million grant to accelerate its plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. Devon has ambitious plans of becoming 80% carbon neutral by the same date.

Rachel Reeves, Chair of the Committee for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), has released a comment indicating the discontent with which she views government plans to scrap export tariffs on 31 March 2019. The scheme remunerates small-scale generators, and its abolishment has been likened to theft and sparked a feud between the industry and politics. Last week, U.K. Energy Minister Claire Perry also said that forcing generators to export for free would be “wrong”.

Renewable energy industry bodies are hailing the U.K. Energy Minister’s comments today that power should not be provided to the country’s electricity grid for free. She was referring to the ongoing debate over whether or not to end solar export tariffs.

The U.K. government has cold-shouldered PV with a row of disfavourable policies, which have put at risk the financial viability of new arrays. In the past few last years, the market has remained almost flat, with installations sitting at around 200 MW per year.