UK Energy Minister Richard Harrington MP recently confirmed that GBP 557 million (≈ EUR 626.23 million) will be made available for "less established" technologies such as offshore wind, energy from waste, marine and biomass combined heat and power (CHP) for future Contract for Difference (CfD) auctions, starting with the next auction in 2019.
Commenting on the report, James Court, Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Renewable Energy Association (REA) noted that the last auction showed what government support and consistency can do for an industry, with offshore wind showing “incredible cost reductions”.
Yet we still find ourselves in a situation where the government will support new nuclear, new gas, new diesel, yet won’t support the most cost-effective technologies such as solar, onshore wind and biomass, which are still blocked to market. The energy market is changing rapidly, with cheaper renewables, a more decentralised grid, smart meters and battery storage driving this revolution. Yet the UK will be left behind globally if the government don’t start supporting the industry and we will be left with a higher cost, higher carbon and out of date system that we will all end up paying for, said Court.
