Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to consult on post-feed-in tariff policy support for solar power; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Feed-in Tariff scheme remains open and provides an incentive for businesses to invest in generating renewable electricity, including solar power.
We are considering options for small-scale low carbon generation beyond 2019, and a consultation on the Feed-in Tariff scheme will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on the levels of business rates levied on properties used for onsite battery storage; and what assessment he has made of the effect of those levels of business rates on the battery storage sector.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Valuation Office Agency, an agency of HM Revenue and Customs, is responsible for assessing the rateable value of onsite battery storage. The Agency is currently speaking to the storage industry to understand how to value energy storage facilities for business rates purposes. The Agency has also requested information from industry on completed and planned battery storage schemes to assist with this work.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the sensitivity analysis which sets out the emissions reductions by each sector of the economy.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy publishes annual updated energy and emissions projections, which project future energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. These include projections of emissions reductions by sector, and sensitivity to fossil fuel prices and economic growth.
The 2017 energy and emissions projections are the most recent published projections, and were published on Jan 2nd 2018. They are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2017
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 85 of the Government's Clean Growth Strategy, what estimate he has made of the actual and projected emissions for the aviation sector for (a) 2030, (b) 2040 and (c) 2050; and what estimate he has made of the required level of aviation emissions if emissions from from transport need to be as low as 3 Mt by 2050.
Answered by Claire Perry
Latest BEIS data shows that carbon dioxide emissions from UK departing flights in 2015 were 34.5 Mt. DfT’s October 2017 aviation forecasts give CO2 emissions from UK departing flights of between 36.6 and 45.7Mt in 2030; between 36.3 and 45.1Mt in 2040; and between 35.0 and 44.3Mt in 2050, depending on demand scenario and airport capacity options.
The Government will set out its strategic approach to the aviation sector in a series of consultations leading to the publication of a new Aviation Strategy for the UK. The Strategy will consider what the best approach and combination of policy measures are to ensure we effectively address carbon emissions from aviation.
The 3 Mt figure quoted from page 85 of the Clean Growth Strategy concerns emissions from transport not including domestic or international aviation and shipping.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2017 to Question 116097 on solar power, what information his Department holds on the project financing of the subsidy-free solar farm referred to in that answer.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The solar farm in question is Clayhill, located in Milton Keynes. Information regarding sources of revenues for this solar farm is not held by the Department.
Furthermore, we can confirm that the Clayhill solar farm is not eligible for, nor is it in receipt of financial support through, any government scheme that provides support for renewable energy.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the evidence base and analysis underpinning his Department's position that solar energy no longer requires public support and can be deployed without subsidy.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Solar energy continues to receive public support through the Renewables Obligation and the Feed-in-Tariffs.
However, government support has helped to reduce the cost of solar cells by 80% since 20081, and there is at least one project that has deployed without subsidy (Clayhill Solar Farm, Milton Keynes2).
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much solar energy has been deployed subsidy-free by (a) capacity and (b) project numbers since the closure of the Renewables Obligation in March 2017.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
We are aware of one solar farm, Clayhill Solar Farm located in Milton Keynes, which has been deployed subsidy free with an installed capacity of 10MW. We are unaware of any others that are currently operational at this time.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the 36 per cent increase in the use of bioenergy envisaged in the Clean Growth Strategy the Government plans will come from woody biomass.
Answered by Claire Perry
The modelling used to derive the changes in annual final energy consumption in 2032, relative to the existing policies scenario did not differentiate between different types of biomass fuels. The figure in Table 11 of the Clean Growth Strategy can be taken to represent a mixture of biogenic fuels, including woody biomass, waste and other sources.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Local Enterprise Partnerships' local energy strategies funded by his Department have evaluated the potential for solar power in their areas.
Answered by Margot James
BEIS has offered funding to help all 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in England develop energy strategies. A first phase of funding was offered to thirteen LEPs in March 2017, and funding was offered to the remaining 25 LEPs in September 2017.
BEIS is enabling local areas to develop energy strategies, linked with the forthcoming Local Industrial Strategies, to reflect the needs, opportunities and barriers within the local area. Some LEP areas have chosen to work together on a joint strategy. Strategies are expected to consider the full range of energy opportunities and challenges in the local area, including the potential for renewable heat and power generation, demand side management and transport infrastructure.
No energy strategies have been completed yet. The first phase energy strategies are expected by the end of March 2018, and the second phase are expected in summer 2018.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on supporting solar power.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
As outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy, the costs of low carbon technologies have fallen significantly since 2010 through a series of innovations and growth in deployment, with solar photovoltaics (PV) modules now almost 80 per cent cheaper than they were, meaning we are now beginning to see solar deploying in the UK without government support.
Solar PV projects continue to benefit from support provided under various government schemes in the UK. Although the Renewables Obligation scheme closed to new solar PV applicants on 1st April 2016, the Feed-in-Tariff remains open to new solar PV projects.