I’m fed up with talking about the weather, but I can console myself with the fact we have grabbed every opportunity so far and progress is not too bad.Government's green scheme 'not enough' to attract farmers
THE Government’s Feed-in Tariffs or ‘Clean Energy Cashback’ scheme, announced on Monday (February 1), does not go far enough to attract farmers and growers, the NFU has claimed.
The Feed-in Tariffs (FITs), being introduced from April 1, will provide Government-backed support for small-to-medium scale renewable electricity generation.
Modelled on similar schemes across Europe, FITs are being introduced in response to lobbying by a coalition of diverse stakeholders, including the NFU, which sees opportunities for British farmers and growers to export renewable energy services alongside food production.
However, the British scheme has already been criticised as lacking in ambition compared with its continental counterparts as it is expected to account for only 2 per cent of UK electricity production by 2020.
The overall rate of return to developers has also been set at around 5-8 per cent, which the NFU says may interest householders, but will not attract many commercial investors such as farmers and growers.
The union’s chief renewable energy adviser Dr Jonathan Scurlock said: “The proposed tariffs for anaerobic digestion (AD) have been dismissed as inadequate by many in the biogas sector, which had lobbied for a range of scaled tariffs similar to those on offer for small-to-medium wind power.
“Surprisingly, other forms of biomass power generation have been left out of the FIT scheme altogether, in yet another blow to the bioenergy industry.
“Farmers are willing and ready to contribute to the low-carbon energy revolution but we are deeply disappointed at this missed opportunity to encourage smaller-scale biogas production on farms. The multiple environmental benefits of thousands of on-farm AD plants will only be rolled out if smaller farm businesses can afford them.”
The NFU says tariffs available for small and medium-sized wind power (under 500kW), mini-hydro power and solar photovoltaics look more attractive, especially in the first two years of the scheme.
However, solar electricity remains relatively expensive, and few farmers have access to falling streams for hydro power.
Many agricultural applicants to the Feed-in Tariff will be left with only one technology choice – wind power.
The scheme has received backing from two energy consultancies.
Sarah Wells from the Herefordshire-based 7Y Energy said the tariffs marked a turning point in the micro renewable industry and after months of waiting, farmers and rural businesses would now be able to taker advantage of the benefits of installing small-scale renewable electricity generation equipment.
Rory Macken, of BECL environmental consultants, said it was ‘excellent news’ for farmers and landowners who wanted to invest in green energy.
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