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Solar & battery storage tax hike legislation laid on same day as Net Zero debate
Dr Nina Skorupska, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and challenger renewable energy supplier Good Energy are calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to rescind legislation laid today that will increase VAT rates on solar PV with battery storage, and on biomass boilers.
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REA welcomes Energy Networks Association’s six steps for delivering flexibility services report
Today the Energy Networks Association (ENA) published their report: Building a more efficient, smarter, cleaner energy system: Our six steps for delivering flexibility services.
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Meeting Net-Zero GHG not possible without Bioenergy
A new report from the UK’s leading renewable trade association has found that the sustainable use of bioenergy is core to the UK meeting its legally binding 5th Carbon Budget. By increasing its deployment by a factor of 2.5 by 2032, sustainable bioenergy, which is currently the UK’s leading source of renewable energy, has the potential to meet both the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) projected shortfall of the 5th Carbon Budget and the impending nuclear gap by providing an additional 117 TWh across heat, transport and power.
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REA comments on EV charging sites outnumbering petrol stations for the first time
Figures from Zap-Map reveal that as of 22 May, the number of public EV charging locations now exceeds the number of petrol stations.
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Tax rate hike for domestic Solar, Storage and Biomass Boiler markets contested by industry
A sudden consultation released by HMRC, which closes today, proposes to increase VAT rates for technologies such as solar, biomass boilers, and energy storage. The VAT rate hike from 5% to 20% for many domestic installations will make it more expensive for households to reduce their carbon footprint and further slow deploymentThe hike comes off the back of wider withdrawal of policy support and in the same week the UK Parliament declared a ‘climate emergency’ and the Committee on Climate Change published its report recommending the UK reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050Supplies of coal fuel for home use still receive a reduced 5% VAT rate. The REA has come up with possible solutions in its consultation response and urges government not to proceed with this hike or reclassify solar, biomass boilers and energy storage, to ensure incentives for decarbonising homes are supported.
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16MW Solar PV Projects could be “Ghosted” by Government due to FiT deployment cap breach
With the closure of the government support mechanism for microgeneration just 10 days away, the Feed-in-Tariff band for over 50kWp rooftop solar projects has been breached. Ofgem’s weekly capacity updates show that an additional 16MW of projects (which could power over 3300 homes) have been registered, although these risk being “ghosted” by the government scheme due to stringent capacity band caps.
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REA comments on the Future of Urban Mobility Strategy
The Department for Transport released their Future of Urban Mobility Strategy alongside a response to the Last Mile Call for Evidence. The Government claims the new Strategy will aim to maximise the benefits from transport innovation in cities and towns. The Strategy includes a £90m funding competition to support local leaders and industry in trialling new mobility services, modes and models and an ambitious regulatory review covering aspects such as data sharing. The REA urges the Government to address the issues outlined in the Last Mile Delivery consultation and prioritise the interoperability of public EV charging as outlined in the REA’s The Interoperability of public EV charging networks in the UK report.
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New report urges UK EV industry to prioritise consumer ease of using public charging points
A new report and position paper released today from the REA is making the case that greater ‘interoperability’ between EV charging networks in the UK should be an industry priority.
The REA is the UK’s largest trade association for renewable energy and clean tech, representing around 70 companies operating in the UK’s EV charging sector including energy suppliers, manufacturers, charge point installers and operators, and financiers.
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REA comments on The Global Warming Policy Foundation’s Energy Storage report
The Global Warming Policy Foundation published their Grid-Scale Storage: Can it solve the intermittency problem? report. The report claims that the lack of suitable storage technologies means that intermittent renewables cannot replace dispatchable coal, gas and nuclear power. The report also adds that due to this, a sensible energy policy cannot be based on them.
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ENA introduce new standardised process for charge points in all types of properties and businesses
Energy Networks Association (ENA) has introduced a new standardised process that will cut the paperwork required for charge point installations. The standardised process covers all types of properties and businesses and will be the first time that commercial properties have been included.The process will also cover connecting heat pumps to local networks.
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BEIS release positive proposals on planning for energy storage devices
Earlier today the Government released their Treatment of Electricity Storage Within the Planning System consultation. The proposals will mean that co-located storage and renewables projects in England will not need to go through the time-consuming national planning process if either the capacity of the storage element is less than 50MW or the capacity excluding any electricity storage is less than 50MW. This is an issue that the REA has campaigned for action on over the past few years.
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REA response to Clean Air Strategy
Government have today released the Clean Air Strategy. This follows on from a draft proposal and consultation in May 2018. Whilst the REA welcome the ambitions of the Clean Air Strategy, we urge the Government to commit to strong sector specific policies and take into account contemporary evidence on the role of bioenergy in meeting carbon targets. The REA urge the Government to focus on alternative courses of action to improve urban air quality through the uptake of electric vehicles and renewable transport fuels.
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REA comments on the Government’s response to the BEIS Committee EV inquiry
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee have published the Government’s response to their report, ‘Electric vehicles: driving the transition’. The response follows on from the publication of the report in October 2018 which called for an early ban on new petrol and diesel car sales and more action on interoperability. The REA welcomes the Government’s commitment to becoming one of the world’s best charging networks bur urges action on interoperability and standardisation of charge point payments, consumer protection and the grid.
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Government announces reduction in Plug-In-Car Grant
The Government have announced their plans to change the current structure of their Plug-In-Car Grant in line with the increased uptake of electric vehicles. The new structure will see the grant rate for Category 1 vehicles reduced from £4,500 to £3,500 with Category 2 and 3 vehicles no longer eligible for the grant.
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Zero Emissions Vehicle Summit an opportunity to further develop EV charging network
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REA welcomes governments’ investment in green vehicles, new batteries and low carbon technology
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New data shows significant solar job losses if full Government proposals enacted
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Petition: Mandate solar PV on new homes
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“Much needed” Capacity Market review must prioritise access for renewables
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New homes shouldn’t be held back by pre-WWII electrical standards