Renewables News

• 01/10/2012 - Landowners Give Robust Response to Energy Efficiency Consultation
  SCOTTISH Land & Estates, which represents over 2500 landowners across Scotland, has today (Monday 1 October) responded to two major Scottish Government consultations on energy efficiency. Key to the responses has been the call for a properly researched national communications plan from the government around energy eff
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• 21/08/2012 - Guidance for wind planning applications launched
  Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has launched guidance designed to make planning applications for wind energy developments run more smoothly for developers, planning authorities and the communities affected. The guidance is a result of the GP Wind Project, a Scottish-Government led EU project which looked at the barriers
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• 17/08/2012 - Energy Saving Trust Scotland - Renewables
  Fancy turning the weather into energy for your home?  In Scotland it’s not uncommon to see four seasons in one day – but did you know no matter what the conditions it can always be a great source of energy for your home? Renewables systems help keep your home energy efficient, helping you forecast major savings.
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• 02/08/2012 - Renewable Heat Incentive Update: Stand-by Mechanism for Budget Management put in Place
  Ofgem has this week published a Guidance Note to explain to existing participants and prospective applicants to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme how the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC’s) stand-by mechanism for budget management will affect them.  This mechanism enables Government to suspend the
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• 25/07/2012 - Banding Review for the Renewables Obligation Announced
  Bandings have this week been set for renewable technologies under the Renewables Obligation – the UK Government’s main mechanism for supporting large-scale renewables – for the period 2013-17 (2014-17 for offshore wind).  The
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• 19/07/2012 - 2 Megawatt Hydro Scheme Opens in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
    The 2 megawatt (MW) £6.1m Allt Fionn Hydroelectric Scheme in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park was
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• 18/07/2012 - UK Government Delays Crucial Decision on Renewable Energy Subsidies
  The UK Government has come under criticism for delaying an announcement on subsidy levels for renewable energy projects.  Ministers were expected to reveal this week the level of support that renewable energy projects can expect to receive through the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) subsidy mechanism through to 2017.
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• 06/07/2012 - Renewable Energy: Barriers in the uptake of renewable energy by landowners
  Renewable energy has become a topic of increasing interest to both the general public and landowners. The balance between the want to provide renewable energy and the barriers preventing this are both diverse and challenging. Faye Jones, a Masters of Land Economy student from the University of Aberdeen, is looking for your he
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• 29/06/2012 - New Bill Introduced to make Scotland a Hydro Nation
  The Water Resources (Scotland) Bill has this week been introduced to the Scottish Parliament. Included in the Bill are a range of measures to ensure Scotland’s water resource is managed efficiently and to the benefit of Scotland, for example, it is proposed that large-scale water abstraction wil
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• 15/06/2012 - DECC announcement on Renewable Heat Incentive Budget Management
  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) consulted on a mechanism for managing the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) budget in the short term and this week published their response.  DECC does not envisage having to use this mechanism to suspend the scheme given current uptake figures.  Nevertheless, th
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• 01/06/2012 - Update on FITs for Solar PV
  Following DECC’s consultation on FIT rates for solar PV, the following changes will be implemented from 1st August 2012:  The tariff for small domestic solar installations will be 16p/kWh, down from 21p, and will be set to decrease on a 3 month basis thereafter, with pauses if the market slows down.
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• 22/05/2012 - Draft UK Energy Bill published
   The Secretary of State for Energy and climate Change, Edward Davey, announced the publication of a draft Energy Bill on the 22nd May 2012.  The Energy and Climate Change Select Committee have announced an inquiry to scrutinise it and have issued a call for written evidence.  The following measures are inc
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• 26/04/2012 - Help for community renewables
   Communities and rural businesses all over Scotland can now apply to a £23.5 million government loan scheme to help them get community energy renewable projects up to the planning stage.    The scheme is designed to make sure communities all over Scotland receive the maximum benefit possible from the proj
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• 25/04/2012 - Wind farms and tourism research welcomed
  Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has welcomed independent research which shows wind farms do not affect the choice of eight in ten tourists to visit Scotland and most people do not feel wind farms spoil the countryside. The independent research, commissioned by VisitScotland, shows that: 83% of Scottish res
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• 29/03/2012 - Introduction of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for Domestic Users subject to potential delay
  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a consultation proposing an interim cost control measure for the RHI that would suspend the RHI until the next financial year should estimated spending – based on applications and
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• 23/03/2012 - Breaking News: Supreme Court rejects government's feed-in tariff solar appeal
  Ruling guarantees higher feed-in tariff rate for companies installing panels between December and March. The Supreme Court has today thrown out the government's appeal against a previous ruling that deemed its controversial changes to solar feed-in tariff (FIT) incentives as unlawful. The decision brings to a
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• 23/03/2012 - £103 million fund for renewables
  Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has announced a new £103 million investment fund which will drive the growth of renewable energy in Scotland for generations. The Renewable Energy Investment Fund (REIF) will initially focus on supporting communities and rural businesses to develop their own local renewable pro
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• 22/03/2012 - New Renewable Heat Incentive Tariffs
  Ofgem has announced that their Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) tariffs for the period from 1st April 2012 will be revised upwards in line with the Retail Price Index.  Currently the RHI is only available for businesses although it is planned for it to be made available to households from the end of 2012.  
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• 09/02/2012 - Feed-in Tariff Announcement
  The Department of Energy and Climate Change has today published a series of documents which mark a crucial turning point for the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme.  Thes
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• 27/01/2012 - Feed-in Tariff Update
  The UK Government has lost its bid to overturn a High Court ruling; that its plans to cut subsidies for solar PV installations, on or after a ‘reference date’ of 12th December 2011, are unlawful. Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has stated that the Government is now seeking permission to app
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• 27/01/2012 - HWEnergy Receive RHI
  HWEnergy has received confirmation of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) accreditation for a 26kW biomass boiler to heat their Fort William HQ.  This is the first successful accreditation in Scotland and the third in the UK.  
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• 27/01/2012 - Feed-in Tariff Update
  The UK Government has lost its bid to overturn a High Court ruling that its plans to cut subsidies for solar PV installations on or after a ‘reference date’ of 12th December are unlawful. 
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• 12/01/2012 - Up-to £1250 renewables grants available to members
  Are you interested in generating your own heat, leading a greener lifestyle and saving money? Renewable heating systems, such as wood-fuelled boilers and heat pumps, can help you make savings and keep your home energy efficient. The UK Government has launched the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme (RHPP), m
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• 22/12/2011 - Renewable energy generation
  New figures published today for the first three quarters of 2011 show Scotland's renewable energy output was on track for the best year ever. The figures, which were released this morning by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, point to 2011 being a re
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• 25/11/2011 - RHI Open for Applications From Monday
  The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for non-domestic generators will open for applications on Monday 28th November 2011. The start of the scheme follows a short delay while DECC resolved the scheme’s compatibility with EU state aid rules and re-submitted the draft regulations to Parliament. Further details are available on
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• 24/11/2011 - The Green Deal consultation launched
  The Department of Energy and Climate Change has launched a consultation which seeks views on the details of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) policies that are to be implemented as part of the Energy Act 2011 which received Royal Assent in October. The Green Deal is a market led framework that will al
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• 14/11/2011 - Hydro Firm Raises £2m for 15 New Projects
  Published in The Scotsman.  Hydro energy firm Green Highland Renewables has raised £2 million from investors after it secured a deal to develop up to 15 small-scale schemes on land owned by the Forestry Commission Scotland. Iain Wo
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• 11/11/2011 - Revised RHI Guidance Published
  Following a consultation period earlier this year, Ofgem have now published the revised guidance for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) on their website This guidance
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• 11/11/2011 - Osborne Unveils £103m Renewables Funding for Scotland
  by BBC News. Chancellor George Osborne has announced an extra £103m of funding for renewable energy in Scotland. The money from the Fossil Fuel Levy was additional to the Scottish government's budget, but within the UK's overall spe
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• 11/11/2011 - Revised Renewable Heat Incentive Guidance Published
  Following a consultation period earlier this year, Ofgem have now published the revised guidance for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) on their websitehttp://www.ofgem.gov.uk/e-serve/RHI/Pages/RHI.aspx
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• 07/11/2011 - Report Supports Energy Policies
  Published on Sunday 6 November 2011 18:23 The Scottish Government has seized on a report which supports its renewable energy policies, following claims they may be over-ambitious and pose a risk to investors. The SNP adminis
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• 07/11/2011 - District Heating Loans
  Over £1.9 million of loans to help develop district heating schemes have been announced by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing. Nine projects have been offered loans, including multi storey housing in Cambuslang, an arts centre in Ullapool and a high school on Shetland. The projects will heat around 280 homes as wel
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• 06/11/2011 - Rivals Rubbish CitiGroup’s Warning Over Renewables
  By Jody Harrison, The Herald. Let’s call it the CitiGroup Baton. It was unsheathed on Tuesday to take a swing at the Scottish Government’s ambitious plans to become the renewable energy powerhouse of Europe. The baton was a finan
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• 05/11/2011 - Report backs Scottish Renewables Under Independence
  A new bank report has backed Scotland's renewable energy policies, just days after a major finance company warned businesses against investing in the renewables sector in Scotland. Citigroup had said the independence referendum process would create huge uncertainty w
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• 04/11/2011 - Feed in Tariffs for Solar PV Under Review
  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a consultation setting out their proposals for changing the level of support for solar PV.  Significant reductions in the tariff levels for schemes up to 250kW are proposed and they will apply for schemes with an eligibility date of 12 December 2011 or after.
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• 04/11/2011 - Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing Criticises Proposed UK Solar FIT
  The Energy Minister for Scotland Fergus Ewing has criticised the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) proposal to cut feed-in tariffs (FIT) for solar energy. The plan - revealed at the end of last month – would see the FIT rate cut by more than ha
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• 04/11/2011 - UK Climate Minister Accused of Misleading Parliament over Solar Costs
  by James Murray, BusinessGreen. The row over the government's controversial plans to rush through cuts to solar incentives looks set to escalate, after members of the solar industry accused one minister of misleading parliament over proposed changes to the feed-in ta
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• 26/10/2011 - Renewable Heat Incentive Update
  The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Regulations have now been laid before Parliament and it is hoped that Phase 1 of the RHI will be open to applicants by the end of November 2011.  The large scale biomass tariff has been revised from 2.7p per kWh to 1p per kWh.  The exact date the RHI will come into force is dependent upon
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• 26/10/2011 - ROC Bands Under Review
  The Scottish Government has issued a consultation reviewing the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) Order 2011.  It should be read in conjunction with the current
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• 14/10/2011 - Proven Energy Sold to Kingspan Renewables
  Proven Energy, an Ayrshire based small wind turbine manufacturer, went into administration after a defect was identified in its P35-2 model and it advised customers to temporarily cease using the product. Receivers KPMG were called in and they have now sold the business and its assets to Kingspan Renewables. KPMG have said tha
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• 06/10/2011 - New CARES Funding announced
  Nearly £4 million of loans to help communities across Scotland develop locally-owned renewable energy projects were announced on Wednesday by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing. The loans, offered through the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), will help with the pre-planning costs of 42 renewable energy projects. The l
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• 30/09/2011 - Renewable Energy Production Drop in Scotland
  Statistics from Whitehall’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) indicate that the total amount of renewable energy produced from wind and hydro power schemes in Scotland fell last year.  Low rainfall meant that hydro fell by a third and despite a sharp increase in the number of wind turbines installed, there was on
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• 30/09/2011 - Delay to Launch of Renewable Heat Incentive
  The launch of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for non-domestic generators, which was planned for 30th September 2011, has been delayed.  State aid approval is a necessary condition for the scheme to go ahead.  As part of that process, the European Commission has expressed concerns that the large biomass tariff is set too hi
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• 27/09/2011 - Boost for Offshore Renewables Industry
  A £35 million development fund to support production of new offshore wind technology in Scotland was unveiled on 27th September 2011 by First Minister Alex Salmond. The fund will be administered by Scottish Enterprise and is open for applications from across Scotland until March 2013. It is a highly targeted inward investmen
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• 05/08/2011 - Agri-Renewables Strategy announced
  A major boost to expand renewable projects in the agriculture sector was announced today by Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead, through the development of an Agri-Renewables Strategy. While attending the annual Black Isle Show, Mr Lochhead explained the new Agr
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• 11/06/2011 - New SPICe briefing - SB 11-39 Energy: Subject Profile
  A new briefing SPICe Briefing on Energy: Subject Profile has been published. It provides an introduction to the energy sector in Scotland; within a UK, European and Global context. It addresses reducing demand, renewable technologies, energy for transport, heat and electricity. It then considers key policies and targets.  T
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• 11/03/2011 - SRPBA Gives Cautious Welcome to Renewable Heat Incentive
  The £860m Renewable Heat Incentive, announced yesterday by the Department forEnergy and Climate Change, has been broadly welcomed by the Scottish RuralProperty and Business Association (SRPBA).
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