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Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) - UK Renewable Energy Subsidies

4/24/2009 12:57:55 PM

The Renewables Obligation is the main support scheme for renewable electricity projects in the UK. It places an obligation on UK suppliers of electricity to source an increasing proportion of their electricity from renewable sources.

A Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator for eligible renewable electricity generated within the United Kingdom and supplied to customers within the United Kingdom by a licensed electricity supplier.

Up until April, one ROC was issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable output generated. However from the 1st April, the system was changed to take account of the fact that certain technologies are more commercially viable than others, and so technologies that need more support for effective market deployment receive it.

The new ‘banded’ system uses onshore wind power as a reference technology, so any technology which needs more support is granted additional ROCs and similarly more commercially viable technologies are granted less ROCs.

The banding system is as follows:

  • Hydro-electric: 1
  • Onshore Wind: 1
  • Offshore Wind: 1.5
  • Wave: 2
  • Tidal: 2
  • Solar Photovoltaic: 2
  • Geothermal: 2
  • Geopressure: 1
  • Landfill Gas: 0.25
  • Sewage Gas: 0.5
  • Energy from Waste with CHP: 1
  • Standard gasification: 1
  • Standard pyrolysis: 1
  • Advanced gasification: 2
  • Advanced pyrolysis: 2
  • Anaerobic Digestion: 2
  • Co-firing of Biomass: 0.5
  • Co-firing of Energy Crops: 1
  • Co-firing of Biomass with CHP: 1
  • Co-firing of Energy Crop with CHP: 1.5
  • Dedicated Biomass: 1.5
  • Dedicated Energy Crops: 2
  • Dedicated Biomass with CHP: 2
  • Dedicated Energy Crops with CHP: 2
  • Microgeneration (under 50kW): 250kW): 2


Sources:

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environment/RenewablObl/Pages/RenewablObl.aspx

http://www.newenergyfocus.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=32&listitemid=2441&section=Legislation

Added By: Toddington


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