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The UK Renewable Energy Policy Experience: Failure to Learn or Political Intransigence?
Dr. Peter Connor
May 9th 2008
UK RE Policy History Focus on market based instruments.
Policy focussed on least cost deployment
with a firm belief that competition could
achieve this.
Little focus on establishing industry,
amassing knowledge capital or other RE
goals.
UK RE Policy History
R&D
Grants
NFFO
Renewables Obligation
Policy Options not Adopted in the UK
Tariff mechanisms
Soft loans
Use obligations
Some General Conclusions on Sound RE Policy
Powerful
Persistent
Predictable
Need to create stable and
transparent market conditions.
Failure to do means higher costs
Problems with the RO Does not address R&D Provision
Lack of security/stability in the RE Market
drives up the cost of capital and thus project and
generation costs.
Regulatory risk relating to ongoing changes in
the RO. Changes – and even potential changes
– to the RO can reduce stability and impact on
the economics of RE generators significantly.
Problems with the RO
Limited availability of finance
Currently focuses support on the most mature
technologies, thus the RO is struggling to drive
technologies seen as essential to meeting UK
RE targets, i.e. offshore wind and biomass
Installation lags targets as a fundamental
aspect of the mechanism.
Problems with the RO
It costs more than the alternatives.
Evidence that tariff mechanism delivers
electricity more cheaply.
EEG (German tariff): 2.6p/kWh. RO : 3.2p/kWh
This seems to be at odds with one fundamental
justification for the RO, that competition would
make it the cheapest way to get RE.
Source: DEFRA/BERR/Ernst & Young
Learning Opportunities
Various reviews of the RO,
including the major one currently
under way.
Considerable feedback from
various actors over extended period.
Lessons learned?
Where next?
The ongoing development of the RO
Banding?
The Renewables Transport Fuel Obligation
A Renewables Heat Obligation?
Renewables Transport Fuel Obligation
Similar form of mechanism to the RO
Rapid introduction to meet EU targets
Sufficient consideration of
practicalities?
Renewable Heat Obligation
Currently under consideration by the
Government.
Similar form of mechanism to the RO.
Evidence suggests that a heat
obligation will mean higher unit costs
than a tariff mechanism.
Renewable Heat Obligation
Justified on the grounds of ‘cultural
compatibility’?
Seems to be at odds with the
fundamental aims of adopting a market
based mechanism, i.e. to minimise costs.
More complex than the RO and more
expensive to operate.
Renewable Heat Obligation
Would appear to be less grounds for
an obligation for heat than electricity.
So why are the Government so keen
on this as an option?
What does this imply for future of
renewable support in the UK?
Obligations
Why does the government persevere
with this type of mechanism?
Staying on message?
Failure to engage with the evidence?
Can’t admit they’re wrong?
Implications for Wind Energy?
Likelihood of any change soon?
Will wind be worse off as a result of
staying with the RO? Perhaps not.
Will consumers be worse off?
Could more wind be funded more
efficiently? Would this mean more wind?
More or less profit for developers?
Conclusions?
Need for the government to face up to
the fact that the RO is not the right
mechanism for effective support of RE at
current stage in development.
More consideration could also be given
to how policy might better serve industry.