Plans to foster small-scale green energy generation among businesses, communities and homeowners in the UK were unveiled today by the Government.
The Government’s Strategy on Microgeneration aims to create "a revolution" in small-scale renewable generation, effectively turning a niche market into a high-street activity. The strategy aims to address the barriers that threaten take up of incentives such as the Feed-in Tariff and the Renewable Heat Incentive – two Government financial schemes that underpin the microgeneration strategy. It also provides an action plan to enable the microgeneration sector to move into what the strategy document describes as the "energy mainstream".

The Microgeneration Strategy focuses on electricity generation technologies less than 50 kilowatt (kW) in size, and heat generating technologies less than 300 kW in size. It includes technologies such as biomass, micro wind, air, ground and water source heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal and micro hydro.

Consultation
The document includes many of the policies set out in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)’s December consultation on microgeneration which closed in March. These include reforming the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), improving technologies, improving skills across the industry and making advice and information about microgeneration more accessible to businesses and homeowners.

It also proposes new ones such as lifting restrictions placed on the development of micro hydro in the UK because of the MSC.

The action plan in the strategy sets out ways the microgeneration industry can address non-financial barriers to the take-up of small-scale green energy generation. These include steps to make it easier to obtain the MSC label.

Announcing the publication of the strategy, Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: "I want to see a revolution in energy generation at a local level, giving genuine power to the people. We want to help people who are enthusiastic to generate their own energy matched by an industry with the desire, creativity and tenacity to grow in a sustainable and responsible way.

"We have worked with industry to develop a clear way forward which includes cutting red tape for micro hydro projects helping this industry to prosper."