§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria have been used to exclude(a) on grid solar PV, (b) off grid solar PV and (c) hybrid systems including solar PV, from the proposed new community and household renewable energy grant scheme to be launched in January 2003. [87715]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Performance and Innovation Unit's 'Renewable Energy in the UK—Building for the Future' report recommended that up to £10 million of support be provided as capital grants specifically for renewable energy schemes that engage local communities or individual households.
The DTI has since undertaken a broad consultation exercise to inform the positioning, design and workings of this scheme. Through the consultation the DTI has revisited the initial recommendations of the PIU. An initial scoping exercise identified schemes, which had potential overlap with the proposed Community and Household Scheme (CHS), and concluded that such a scheme would be beneficial for the advancement of renewables in the UK.
Although the PIU recommended that no restrictions be placed on technology, the DTI has sought to identify which technologies would enhance the public's understanding of renewables. The scheme has also been designed so that it would not duplicate work under way through other Government or Industry initiatives. Although solar PV has a significant contribution to make to enhancing the public's understanding of renewables, it is already supported by the first phase of the PV Major Demonstration Programme (MDP) which has a budget of £20 million. The programme has already supported PV installations by homeowners and local groups. Technologies such as solar water heating, small wind and micro hydro can also make a positive contribution to the public's understanding of renewables. These technologies, in contrast to solar PV, receive little or no Government support.
The scheme also aims to tackle some of the other barriers to uptake such as installer accreditation. Again installer accreditation for solar PV occurs under the MDP and so any such work in the Community and Household would be redundant.
On off grid applications, the DTI are currently looking at whether to expand the MDP to include off grid PV systems. On hybrid systems, customers will be able to apply to the CHS for the non solar PV component and to the MDP for the solar PV component of the hybrid system.
The technologies supported by the CHS will be reviewed throughout the lifetime of the scheme and altered if necessary.