I have been assured that the Government is committed to meeting 15 per cent of the UK's energy demands from renewable resources by 2020, and FITs have led to levels of renewable energy deployment that have surpassed all expectations. By the end of the year deployment under the FIT scheme will have already exceeded the Government's 2012 projections for wind, hydro and anaerobic digestion in 2020-21, and is expected to be within the predicted range for solar before then too.
It is of course good news for the environment that renewable energy has been rolled out sooner than anticipated, but the extra costs associated with providing FITs are ultimately paid by customers through their energy bills. I would expect the Government to ensure that these costs are kept affordable.
The Government has consulted widely on this issue, and listened carefully to feedback from both the public and industry professionals. Following this review, the Government has decided to revise the rate of the tariff, increasing it to 4.39p/kWH instead of the planned 1.63pkWH. This will provide a sustainable return for anyone investing in small scale renewable energy technology, without imposing unnecessary burdens on bill payers.
I was pleased to also hear that pre-accreditation for solar PV are due to be reintroduced, following the consultation. This reintroduction of pre-accreditation will be an important step for the community energy sector.