Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation that would enable people and businesses to buy community energy locally.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is hugely ambitious about the role that local energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
The Department – with Great British Energy – are looking at the issue of local supply and the options available.
In parallel, Elexon have been progressing the P441 code modification through a series of workgroup roundtables and have recently concluded a consultation to gather wider sector responses on proposed P441 changes. These changes if supported would clarify and simplify balancing and settlement arrangements for complex metering sites, such as those likely to be used by many community energy schemes.
The Government will continue to monitor these developments closely and will publish the Local Power Plan in due course.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings ministers have held with climate scientists and scientific advisory bodies on climate change since July 2024; and whether they will publish a list of those meetings comparable to the published data on meetings with representatives of the fossil fuel industry.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Ministers engage regularly with the scientific community and trusted experts, including the Climate Change Committee, to ensure our climate policies are based on the best available advice and evidence. A list of ministers’ meetings with external organisations is published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans (1) to accelerate the uptake of heat pump installations and support jobs and skills in this sector, and (2) to increase the availability of a new generation of higher temperature heat pumps using new refrigerants, including R290, or propane.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In October, the Government increased the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for heat pumps to £7,500. In the first full month after the uplift, we saw double the number of vouchers redeemed compared to those redeemed prior to the uplift. Government is also supporting skills in the sector through the £5m Heat Training Grant which launched in July 2023.
Government has funded innovation in new technologies, like higher temperature heat pumps that use alternative refrigerants, through the Net Zero Innovation Programme and such technologies are eligible for support under various Government grant schemes, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Asked by: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many onshore wind projects consisting of individual turbines were completed in 2023; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of new onshore wind farms.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Government does not routinely collect information on the number of turbines that make up onshore wind farms, with the exception of larger projects tracked by the Renewable Energy Planning Database. Nevertheless, Government sees onshore wind of all sizes as an important part of the energy mix and supports large-scale onshore wind farms through the Contracts for Difference Scheme and small-scale onshore wind farms through the Smart Export Guarantee.