Green Deal promises microgeneration kick-start
Industry offers cautious welcome to news that solar panels and biomass boilers could access Green Deal finance.
The UK's nascent microgeneration industry could receive a major boost after the government confirmed it was actively considering making solar panels, ground source heat pumps and other small-scale renewable technologies eligible for inclusion in its Green Deal energy efficiency loan scheme.
It had been widely feared that microgeneration technologies would be excluded from the scheme.However, the Department of Energy and Climate Change today released a discussion document confirming that microgeneration technologies were being considered for inclusion, alongside energy efficient insulation, lighting, as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning technologies.
A DECC spokeswoman stressed that the list could change as the government looks to finalise the scheme ahead of its scheduled launch next autumn.
"We want to look at whether we have the right technologies on the list or some should be added," she said, adding that proponents of measures excluded from the list, such as double glazing, would be able to make their case for inclusion.
She also stressed that the initial focus of the Green Deal scheme would be the financing of insulation measures, and said the government would consider whether it would make all measures available from the start of the scheme or opt for a phased introduction.