Get your microgeneration grants now!

The DTI's Low Carbon Buildings Programme is now up and running and will provide grants for microgeneration technologies for householders, community organisations, schools, the public sector and businesses.

In November 2005 Malcolm Wicks announced there would be £30 million budget over three years and in March 2006’s budget a further £50 million was added to the programme.

The programme started on 1st April and is UK wide (apart from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man).

Two streams of grants are available:

• Stream one for smaller projects for home owners, community groups and small to medium enterprises
• Stream two for larger projects which include larger businesses, community organisations and the public sector.

The technologies covered include:

• Solar photovoltaics
• Wind turbines
• Small hydro
• Solar thermal hot water
• Ground/water/air source heat pumps
• Bio-energy
• Renewable CHP
• MicroCHP (Combined heat and power)
• Fuel cells

Applicants must take specified energy efficiency measures first to become eligible for a grant.

While many welcomed the extra cash available, The National Energy Foundation worried that lack of support may kill the renewable sector despite the announcement.

Solarcentury's CEO Jeremy Leggett pointed out: "Divide £50m by six technologies and you come up with less than £5m per year per technology, and that does not include energy efficiency, or the gas microCHP that the DTI slipped into the supposedly renewables-only programme at the eleventh hour."

At this rate, he calculated that "funding is probably falling. By contrast, Japan has spent an average of £100m a year for ten years in building its PV industry. California is investing $2.9 billion over ten years. Germany pays premium prices for solar electricity, guaranteed for 20 years, financed by a tiny levy on the rates of all consumers...

"Meanwhile, UK plc. continues to lose out in some of the fastest growing markets in the world, markets which hold the key to energy security and surviving global warming."

>> 0800 915 7722 or www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

Technorati Tags: Energy; Environment; ClimateChange;