Best practice in harnessing microgeneration technologies

Microgeneration is more often than not a costly and less reliable alternative to grid energy. Nevertheless, the comfortable status quo of a fully-centralised, planned, balanced and self-sufficient energy sector is becoming increasingly untenable in most major economies. Driven by regulation new supply side market initiatives are boosting the commercial appeal of microgeneration technologies.

Report Highlights
The fate of microgeneration depends on the interplay between technology development, policy support and consumer priorities. Because of wide differences in the attractiveness of individual microgeneration technologies in relation to specific energy markets, support schemes have experienced wide ranging costs and effectiveness of implementation.

In the UK, several barriers stand in the way of the mass market take-up of microgeneration technologies. For now, lower carbon emissions and energy security ambitions are better served using the national grid than home-based solutions. A 'deemed' feed in tariff is a necessary, if insufficient, condition to drive a mass market transition in the UK.

Utilities have made small in-roads into the UK microgeneration sector, mainly because UK policy is too fragmented and of insufficient scale to deliver a cogent solution promoting mass market uptake of microgeneration. SSE leads the market, yet all utilities must now address five key problem areas to benefit from the incoming 5MW feed in tariff.
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Figure 1: Solar PV and micro-wind receive the bulk of European subsidies, yet they generate much less energy than other microgeneration technologies (such as micro-CHP and heat pumps). 3
Figure 2: Of the roof-based microgeneration technologies, solar water heating is usually the most effective and the most widespread across Europe. 4
Figure 3: Heat pumps: electrical energy is used to pump renewable heat energy from the environment, generally for the purpose of supplying space heating. Systems use a refrigeration cycle in reverse. The two main alternatives are ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps. 5
Figure 4: Micro-biomass microgeneration is unique as it has a low carbon dioxide emission level whatever the grid intensity. 6
Figure 5: Micro-wind turbines are not usually cost effective for grid-connected houses. They are more suited to rural areas due to siting and planning issues, as well as the higher available wind speeds that maximize the turbine's low generation capabilities. 7
Figure 6: The most supportive subsidy of micro-CHP technologies would involve a 'deemed' feed-in tariff for renewable electricity and heat. 8
Figure 7: The greatest CO2-saving potential comes from immature microgeneration technologies, mainly fuel cell CHP, which is not yet commercially available. 9
Figure 8: Policy support is the main driving force behind microgeneration 10
Figure 9: Certain countries and policies have faired better than others at successfully stimulating specific types of microgeneration uptake 11
Figure 10: The success of individual Member States' support policies is conditional on country-specific issues that relate to particular technologies, prevailing energy market conditions, and the way in which policies are implemented 12
Figure 11: The UK FIT should be supported by financial and non-financial measures 14
Figure 12: The mass market uptake of microgeneration technologies in the UK would require a considerable level of taxpayer subsidy 15
Figure 13: As it currently stands, decentralized energy is not best placed to answer the UK's concerns relating to carbon emissions 16
Figure 14: As it currently stands, decentralized energy is not best placed to answer the UK's concerns relating to carbon emissions 16
Figure 15: Microgeneration will not resolve security of supply concerns and must be able to adapt to the dynamics of the UK energy market 17
Figure 16: The maximum theoretical saving (before initial capital expenditure costs) for a micro-turbine currently ranges around the £910 mark 19
Figure 17: Utilities favor solar PV installations by offering some of the most attractive export and ROC rates and by offering a total of 10 tariffs 20
Figure 18: Of the seven utilities, British gas, EDF and npower offer the smallest export tariff for hydro at 5p/kWh 21
Figure 19: There are fewer tariffs available for CHP installations than for the other three types of microgeneration technologies 22
Figure 20: Five problem areas must be resolved now to optimize the incoming 5MW FIT 23
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