DECC REVIEW - February 2014 Issue 20content.govdelivery.com/attachments/UKDECC/2014/04/09/... ·...

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HEADLINE NEWS Siemens to build major offshore wind manufacturing site in the UK OUR ENERGY ECONOMY First ever assessment of Britain's energy markets THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE Comprehensive report on climate change IN THE SPOTLIGHT Funding boost for low carbon heating HELPING CONSUMERS More suppliers in the market make it easier to switch OUT AND ABOUT DECC makes its mark at Ecobuild 01 04 07 10 06 08 COMING UP Events & Consultations 11 | March 2014 | Edition 21 | Time to switch?

Transcript of DECC REVIEW - February 2014 Issue 20content.govdelivery.com/attachments/UKDECC/2014/04/09/... ·...

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HEADLINE NEWSSiemens to build major offshore wind manufacturing site in the UK

OUR ENERGY ECONOMYFirst ever assessment of Britain's energy markets

THE GLOBAL CHALLENGEComprehensive report on climate change

IN THE SPOTLIGHTFunding boost for low carbon heating

HELPING CONSUMERSMore suppliers in the market make it easier to switch

OUT AND ABOUTDECC makes its mark at Ecobuild

01 04

07 10

06

08

COMING UPEvents & Consultations

11

| March 2014 | Edition 21 |

Time to switch?

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HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

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On 25 March 2014, Siemens announced its decision to invest £160 million in wind turbine production and installation facilities in Yorkshire creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the Hull area.

The plan will be spread across two sites comprising: • the Green Port Hull project construction,

assembly and service facility • a new rotor blade manufacturing facility in East

Riding.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "This investment is going to create lots of new jobs and opportunities, meaning more financial security and peace of mind for families and a more resilient economy for our country."

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey said: “This deal is excellent news for the people of Hull and the Humber, the UK, the wind industry, and our energy security…This deal shows our strategy for offshore wind is working; bringing investment, green jobs and growth, and helping keep Britain the number one country in the world for offshore wind.”

For more information on this story, please see ‘Our Energy Economy’ section.

Siemens to build major offshore wind manufacturing site in the UK

Top: Energy Secretary Edward Davey at Siemens in Hull. Above: Prime Minister David Cameron and Edward Davey with Siemens looking at plans for proposed wind turbine production facilities

As part of this year's Budget announcement on 19 March 2014, DECC confirmed how the Capacity Market is being designed ahead of the first auction being held later this year. The Capacity Market will help drive new investment in gas demand side capacity, and get the best out of our existing generation fleet as we transition to a low carbon electricity future.

The Capacity Market is part of the Government’s wider Electricity Market Reform programme that will ensure the future security of our electricity supply by ensuring that sufficient reliable capacity is in place to meet demand, at the lowest possible cost. New gas capacity is critical for ensuring future security of supply.

The Capacity Market is designed to ensure:

• 15 year capacity agreements will be available to new capacity providers

• Existing capacity will be able to access rolling one year agreements

• Penalties for unreliable capacity will be capped

• The capacity auction’s prices will be capped to protect consumers

The first capacity auction will take place in December 2014, subject to state aid clearance. Capacity will be in place by the winter of 2018. In advance of this, DECC will also run two transitional auctions for demand side capacity in 2015 and 2016. This will help grow the demand side industry and ensure effective competition between traditional power plants and new forms of capacity aimed at driving down future costs for consumers.

Full details of the Government’s response to the consultation on Electricity Market Reform, including Capacity Market design, will be published in late spring, as secondary legislation is put before Parliament.

Factcheck The Capacity Market works by offering all capacity providers (new and existing power stations, electricity storage and capacity provided by voluntary demand reductions) a steady, predictable revenue stream on which they can base their future investments. In return for this revenue (capacity payments) they must deliver energy when needed to maintain energy supplies, or face penalties. The cost to consumers will be minimised due to the competitive auction process.

Security of energy supply

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Taken together, these developments, onshore and offshore demonstrate to the world that the UK is a prime go-to location for investment in upstream oil and gas.

Carbon Capture and Storage innovation The Government is providing £60m for low carbon energy innovation to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies that have significant potential to reduce the cost of low carbon generation to the UK.

Climate Change Levy (CCL) Main Rates, which aim to change UK business behaviour in reducing energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy, will increase in line with RPI from 1 April 2015.

For the full Budget please visit the Treasury’s website.

HEADLINE NEWS

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On 19 March 2014, the Chancellor George Osborne announced some important energy policy measures in the Budget – these are set out below:

Carbon Price Floor (CPF) Capping the Carbon Price Support (a tax on fossil fuels used to generate electricity) at £18.00 from 2016–17 to 2019–20. Carbon Price Support tops up the EU Emissions Trading System price to create a floor price for carbon (or a Carbon Price Floor) in the UK generation sector.

The freeze in the rate of carbon price support is expected to result in lower wholesale electricity prices, and therefore lower consumer bills:

Household electricity bills are estimated to be around £15 lower in 2020, with a cumulative saving of around £56 from 2016 to 2020; Business electricity bills are estimated to be around 3% lower in 2020.

OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

Energy Intensive Industries Energy intensive industries will continue to be compensated for the costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and Carbon Price Floor (CPF) until 2019–20. There will be a new compensation scheme for the price of the Renewables Obligation and small scale feed-in-tariffs from 2016–17. This is Government compensation and has no impact on consumer bills.

Together, this package means that energy intensive industries will be compensated for all Government policy designed to support low carbon and renewable investment up until the end of the decade.

Combined Heat and Power The government is exempting fuel used to generate good quality electricity by Combined Heat and Power plants from the Carbon Price Floor (CPF), where that electricity is used onsite.

Competition and small businesses The Budget also reaffirms the Government’s

commitment to make energy markets more competitive for small and very small businesses.In particular it:

• Welcomes announcements by the vast majority of energy suppliers to end auto-rollovers in their current form;

• Has agreed with the smart meter Central Delivery Body that they will set out plans for how they will help microbusinesses make full use of smart meters; and

• Welcomes the proposals from Ofgem that energy suppliers be required to include more information on current tariffs, new tariffs and consumption details when notifying customers of their contract end dates, and to improve the regulation of energy brokers.

Oil & Gas industry The Government has also recognised the huge importance of the oil and gas industry to the UK economy.

Investment to the tune of £1.9 million for 2014–15 and £5 million for 2015–16 will fund the establishment of a new body to take stewardship of the UK’s oil and gas resources, as Sir Ian Wood recommended in his Review.

The Government is introducing a new tax allowance to encourage offshore operators to invest further in new and existing ultra-high-pressure, high-temperature fields in the North Sea.

The Government will bring forward a new tax allowance which will encourage further exploration of our promising onshore shale gas resources.

Budget 2014

Budget Summary Together these measures will ensure:

• investment in low carbon clean energy technology is maintained;

• Britain retains its overall competitiveness and attraction for growth and investment;

• we can continue to guarantee the security of our UK energy supply, and;

• business and household consumers can look forward to lower energy bills in the years to come, benefitting by an estimated £7bn by 2018–19.

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OUR ENERGY ECONOMY

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£310m offshore wind manufacturing boost to UKAs part of the announcement on 25 March 2014, Siemens is investing £160 million across two locations and its port partner, Associated British Ports (ABP) is investing a further £150 million in the Green Port Hull development. The investment will provide a huge boost to the UK’s offshore wind industry and the Humber region. It will lead to:

• combined investments of £310 million • the creation of up to 1,000 jobs directly• additional jobs during construction and indirectly in the

supply chain

Michael Suess, chief executive of Siemens’ energy sector, said: "Our decision to construct a production facility for offshore wind turbines in England is part of our global strategy. We invest in markets with reliable conditions that can ensure that factories can work to capacity.”

"The British energy policy creates a favourable framework for the expansion of offshore wind energy. In particular, it recognises the potential of offshore wind energy within the overall portfolio of energy production.”

ABP Chief Executive James Cooper said: “Our investment in Green Port Hull will ensure the supply chain supporting this exciting new industry can be centred on the Humber. We are delighted that Siemens has chosen to partner with us to realise this exciting project.”

Renewable UK’s Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said: “This is a major coup for the British wind industry – it’s the green-collar jobs game-changer that we’ve been waiting for… This is just the start – where Siemens are leading, a cascade of others will follow – and we’ll see very significant growth in the UK supply chain.

“Major developments like today’s announcement from Siemens will help us to retain the UK’s global lead in offshore wind…”

Factcheck

Siemens currently employs around 13,700 workers in the UK, including 4,000 in the energy sector

HEADLINE NEWS HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

www.siemens.com/press

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OUR ENERGY ECONOMY

First Annual Assessment of Britain's energy market

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HEADLINE NEWS HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

In October 2013, the Prime Minister announced that Ofgem, working closely with the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition and Markets Authority, would undertake annual reviews of the state of competition in the energy markets.

On 27 March 2014, the first Annual Assessment was published.

What did the assessment find?• A significant fall in consumer trust;• Advantage based on the former regional monopolies;• Possible co-ordination between energy companies;• Barriers to entry and expansion for new companies;

and • Increasing supplier profits that don't appear to reflect

increasing efficiency.

Reacting to the report, Ed Davey said: “This is tough action based on a detailed, independent expert assessment of the state of competition in Britain’s energy markets – leading to the first ever market reference for the energy markets.

“This is just too important for people to rely on guesses about how to fix the energy markets…We will give Ofgem and the Competition and Markets Authority whatever support they need to get this done as quickly as possible.”

Next steps • Ofgem have published a consultation on a proposed

market investigation reference, available here. • Responses to this consultation should be sent to

[email protected] no later than 17:00, 23 May 2014.

• Any potential market investigation would be undertaken by the new Competition and Markets Authority.

New codes on your bill

To make it easier for consumers to navigate the energy market, the Government has already announced plans to introduce QR (Quick Response) codes to energy bills so consumers can get an instant cross-market comparison.

This is one example of how the Government is helping consumers make the switch and get a better deal, with collective switching and simpler tariffs already introduced.

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HELPING CONSUMERS

517,000 households have received help to improve their homes to make them more energy efficient through the Green Deal or Energy Company Obligation (ECO) since the schemes started in 2013.

Government is now over half way to achieving its target of one million homes being upgraded through ECO and the Green Deal by Spring 2015.

Over half a million British homes now warmer and cheaper to heat

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HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

Energy bill drops 20% thanks to a Green Deal

Tim Proctor lives with his partner and baby son in North London. The temperature inside their home often fluctuated and therefore needed to be heated constantly to maintain a stable temperature.

Tim had a Green Deal assessment to understand more about what he could do to make his home warmer and more energy efficient, and as a result had external wall insulation installed.

Green Deal Cashback Scheme now even betterThe Green Deal Cashback Scheme (operating in England and Wales) which rewards consumers for taking action to improve the energy efficiency of their homes through the Green Deal is now even better. We have increased the rates of cashback on offer to better reflect the costs that customers incur in installing measures.

A summary of the cashback changes:

• The new cashback scheme will be open for new applications until 30 June 2014. Cashback vouchers will be valid for a period of three months, or six months for solid wall insulation. All work must be completed and vouchers redeemed by 30 September 2014.

• The rates have been substantially improved for some items, e.g. consumers can get up to £4,000 for solid wall insulation compared with just £650 before. These new rates will apply to applications made or redeemed on or after 13 December 2013 – the Cashback

Administrator will contact people affected by this. • DECC has increased the customer’s contribution

cap to 66%, bringing more households within reach of the maximum cashback rates for each measure.

• For customers who do not want to take out a Green Deal Plan, we are removing the requirements for Guarantees and Insurance Backing for all measures except for cavity and solid wall insulation.

For more information on how to get Green Deal cashback, click here.

For more information on how the Green Deal can help tenants and landlords in the private rented sector, click here.

CASE

STUDY

Example of cashback helping the installation of solid wall insulation (illustrative costs) Calculation:• Installation of SWI £7,000 • Cashback available (up to max of) £4,000 • Leaving an outstanding balance of £3,000. This can be paid for through a combination of a Green Deal Plan and/or savings or other finance routes.

Ed Davey said: “This government is taking action to help people and businesses control their energy bills now. Last December we announced that we were reducing the cost of government policies, saving households an average of £50 each. Making it easier for people to have more energy efficient homes is the best way to put consumers in control so they can keep bills down permanently.”

“Our Green Deal assessment was quick and straightforward and provided us with all the information on the costs of the work and the different finance options available to us. We financed the work ourselves having decided it was a worthwhile investment, and received a 20% subsidy through our Green Deal provider, which was a great help.

“Straight away I noticed that the walls were retaining heat and our bills dropped by 20% in the first month. I would definitely recommend friends go through the Green Deal as the difference it’s made to my property has been instant and really worthwhile.”

To find out how you can get a Green Deal assessment click here.

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HELPING CONSUMERS

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HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

On 4 March 2014, Greg Barker announced six local authorities that will be supported under the Green Deal Communities initiative:

• Cambridgeshire• Ashfield• Suffolk• Peterborough• Six north London boroughs

led by Haringey• Bracknell Forest

Together they represent a total of £19.5 million and aim to deliver over 5,500 Green Deal Plans to over 7,000 households.

To find out more on how local authorities can get involved in the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation click here.

Communities awarded £19.5m Green Deal

More suppliers in the market make it easier to switch

The Great British Switch – getting consumers to switch

Recently published research shows that almost half of all people who switched their energy supplier in February 2014 switched to a small supplier. This demonstrates that competition is working and small suppliers are offering a real alternative on both price and customer service.

Energy UK's research shows:• Switches to small suppliers has hit an

all-time high of 42%• A steady increase in the percentage of

switches gained by smaller suppliers.

Energy UK said “This month’s switching results are evidence that the reforms are working.”

You can use price comparison companies to help find a better energy deal and ensure you are not paying more for your energy than you need to. Ofgem-accredited price comparison websites provide whole of market comparisons enabling you to get the best deal.

Price comparison services that are covered by Ofgem’s Confidence Code act independently of suppliers, so you can be sure that when you are presented with options and prices, they have been calculated and are displayed in a fair and independent way. More details and a list of price comparison sites that are covered by this Code can be found here.

It’s always worth checking with your current supplier whether you can get a cheaper deal with them, before you decide to move to a new supplier.

Time to switch?

The weekend of 15–16 March 2014 saw the launch of Great British Switch, a campaign by the newspaper The Mirror, and switching site, Compare the Market, aimed at putting you back in control of your energy bills, simply by switching provider and getting a better deal.

To take even more control over your energy bills, see which energy efficiency schemes or assistance you could benefit from by clicking on the energy grants calculator, available here.

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HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

At 20:30 GMT on 29 March 2014 DECC’s Ministers threw their support behind WWF’s Earth Hour. The campaign brings together hundreds of millions of people from across the world in a symbolic light outs display.

In Earth Hour 2013, over 10 million adults in the UK took part and almost 1.6 million students were reached by schools up and down the country.

Photo by Earth Hour Global

Comprehensive report on climate change impacts published

Small gestures making a big difference

Ed Davey said “Earth Hour is an opportunity for millions of people across the world to take action and help reduce the impact of climate change. 82% of people who took part last year said they felt inspired to take further personal action on climate change and it’s important we keep up the momentum.

“Businesses, communities, schools and millions of individuals across the world will be taking part... I will be ensuring that UK Government stands with them on Saturday 29 March.”

To find out more on Earth Hour, click here.

Ed Davey with the WWF Earth Hour banner

On 31 March 2014, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the second part of its latest report on climate change.

The Report covers the likely impacts of climate change and our capacity to adapt to future climate risks. Since the last major review of 2007, it provides a strengthened body of evidence on observed impacts and future risks of climate change.

It identified three key risks from climate change for Europe:

• Increased economic losses and more people affected by flooding

• Increased water restrictions• Increased economic losses and people

affected by extreme heat events

In response to the Report, Ed Davey said: “This report represents the most comprehensive look at the impacts of climate change ever written… Left unchecked, climate change will impact on many aspects of our society, with far reaching consequences to human health, global food security and economic development.

The UK is leading from the front and working with our European partners and we’ve adopted some of the most ambitious climate change targets in the world.”

To read a blog on the IPCC report by the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Mark Walport, click here.

The IPCC will be publishing the third part of its report on 13 April 2014, covering options for mitigating climate change.

FactcheckThe IPCC report has:• Over 310 scientific experts who have

contributed • Scientific experts drawn from

universities and research institutes in 73 different countries

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OUT AND ABOUT

PAGE 08| March 2014 | Edition 21 |

HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

Barker opens Nottingham green energy plantOn 20 March 2014, Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker opened Tamar Energy’s new Anaerobic Digestion plant at Sutton Grange Farm in Nottinghamshire.

Greg Barker said “Energy from waste is an essential part of the energy mix, it’s a win-win – helping to drive low carbon energy and helping reduce energy bills for hardworking consumers.

“Tamar Energy’s new Anaerobic Digestion plant is the largest facility of its kind in the UK and is a great example of how waste can be used to power homes and businesses across the country. That’s why we have put a range of financial incentives in place to encourage other organisations to rise to the challenge.”

FactcheckAnaerobic digestion (AD) uses a series of natural biological processes to break down organic waste material anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) and convert it into biogas, which can then be used to create electricity in a CHP (Combined Heat and Power) unit, put into the grid, or used to power vehicles. The by-product of AD is a natural fertiliser and soil conditioner for agricultural use.

On 5 March 2014, Ed Davey used the key industry event Ecobuild, held in East London, to set out how the Government is improving the Green Deal, and to launch a consultation on the Energy Company Obligation.

Ed Davey reaffirmed his ambition for both the Green Deal and ECO. He said “our target remains the same…To have at

DECC makes its mark at Ecobuild

least one million homes upgraded under ECO and the Green Deal by the end of Spring 2015.”

Also at Ecobuild were members of DECC’s Renewable Heat Incentive, Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation teams, who were busy engaging with industry and consumers at the event.

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OUT AND ABOUT

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HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

On 7 March 2014, Energy Minister, Michael Fallon helped to unveil the National Grid and Scottish Power joint venture to build the Western Link, a £1 billion project to bring renewable energy from Scotland to homes and businesses in Wales and England. Michael Fallon also took a flight over the proposed route of the Western Bootstrap subsea cable.

Baroness Verma in BulgariaFallon clearing the path for a key energy bootstrap

Between 3–5 March 2014, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for DECC Baroness Verma, paid an official visit to Bulgaria to deepen cooperation on energy issues with the UK. The visit also facilitated the exchange of experience between the British and Bulgarian nuclear energy sectors.

Baroness Verma met with Deputy Prime Minister Daniela Bobeva, Minister Dragomir Stoynev, the Director of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Ivan Genov, and British business people who are working in Bulgaria.

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HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP

Policy responsibility for energy-using products will transfer from DEFRA to DECC.

Real progress has been made in reducing greenhouse emissions from common household products and making them more energy efficient. Moving this policy across Government ensures that this policy area is better suited to the strategic objectives of DECC.

To find out more about the new work DECC will be negotiating and overseeing the implementation of, click here.

Government and industry driving down the costs of offshore wind

Funding boost for low carbon heating

Energy saving products policy

On 26 March 2014, Greg Barker announced 24 local authorities across England and Wales have been awarded more than £2.1 million to support the development of heat network projects. These projects will provide heating to local homes and businesses using a range of low carbon technologies, including energy from waste or recovered heat taken from industry.

Each project is designed to provide more efficient heating to buildings, which can help to drive down consumers’ heating bills and reduce emissions.

Next round of funding opens soonThe remaining grant funding is worth £7 million in total and applications for the next round of funding will be open from 12 May to 27 June 2014. Applications are encouraged from Local Authorities. You may find it helpful to see previous successful bids to understand what information is required.

Four businesses have been awarded over £4 million to spur on innovation to lower the costs of generating offshore wind energy.

The grants have been awarded to:

• 2-B Energy • High Voltage Partial Discharge Ltd• SgurrControl Ltd• Ocean Resource Ltd

The winning projects will use the funding to streamline the design and installation of offshore wind turbines, which could lead to significant reductions in the cost of offshore wind. For example, the 2-B Energy project has the potential to reduce the cost of offshore wind by as much as 35%.

Greg Barker said: “Innovation is critical to cutting the cost of this low-carbon power source...I wish the winners every success with their projects.”

Dr Lee Renforth, HVPD Managing Director said:“The DECC funding will accelerate the development of HVPD’s On-line HVDC Cable Condition Monitor

to enable this innovative system to start providing savings to the offshore renewables industry by the end of 2015.”

Factcheck The UK is the world leader in offshore wind. In the UK there is 3.6GW of installed operating capacity already, which compares well to Denmark and Germany.

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PAGE 11| March 2014 | Edition 21 |

The Future of the Energy Company ObligationCloses: 23:45, 16 April 2014A consultation on proposals to amend domestic energy supply licence conditions - requiring provision of key energy data in a machine readable format Closes: 23:45, 21 April 2014Electricity Market Reform (EMR): Contracts for Difference regulationsCloses: 23:45, 23 April 2014Consultation on the EMR operational cost leviesCloses: 23:45, 24 April 2014Consultation on Feed in Tariff change for HydroelectricityCloses: 12:00, 29 April 2014Strategy for the management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) waste in the United KingdomCloses: 23:45, 8 May 2014Nuclear Industry Association application to justify the UK Advanced Boiling Water ReactorCloses: 00:15, 13 May 2014Management of overseas origin nuclear fuels held in the UKCloses: 00:15, 28 May 2014

Click here for more information on DECC consultations

Renewable heat - on the road againTo help businesses, installers and consumers find out more about the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, DECC will be attending a series of property and renewable energy roadshows throughout spring and summer 2014.

At the roadshows, attendees will be able to find out how the domestic RHI and the Green Deal will work together to ensure that all participants benefit from having a smarter, warmer home.

Events DECC will be attending include:

Dates (all 2014) Event Location8 April Renewable Energy

MarketplaceWestpoint Arena, Exeter,

30 April RHI Roadshow North Wales

Venue Cymru, Llandudno

1 May RHI Roadshow West Wales Park Hotel, Aberystwyth

2 May RHI Roadshow South Wales

Village Hotel, Swansea

7 & 8 May Greenbuild Expo Manchester Central

17 & 18 May Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show

SECC, Glasgow

21 & 22 May All Energy Expo Aberdeen Exhibition Centre

17, 18 & 19 June Energy Environment Expo ExCel, London

26 & 27 June Eco Technology Show The Brighton Centre

28 & 29 June Southern Homebuilding & Renovating Show

Sandown Park, Surrey

To find out more about the Renewable Heat Incentive, click here.

HEADLINE NEWS OUR ENERGY ECONOMY HELPING CONSUMERS THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE SPOTLIGHT COMING UP