policy

As the long-awaited call for evidence (CfE) on the future of the UK’s smart power policy gets ever closer, David Pratt outlines the five key areas the UK government is seeking to address in the upcoming document.

The government has set out its strategy to meet last year’s commitment to close unabated coal plants by 2025, effectively seeking to price the existing fleet of plants out of operation.

The secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) Greg Clark appears to have ruled out a consultation on the proposals expected to come from Ofgem following the completion of its review of embedded benefits.

A new report from Policy Exchange has called for a wholesale overhaul of the UK’s power system to create a level playing field for clean energy flexibility technologies to compete with dirtier forms, which would ultimately save consumers as much as £90 a year by 2030.

The Irish minister for communications, climate change and natural resources has sought to manage expectations for the country’s nascent solar market, indicating that not all of the applications currently in the pipeline will be supported by the government.

The National Audit Office’s report into the Levy Control Framework would have been considered “material evidence” in Solarcentury’s appeal against the premature closure of the Renewables Obligation, the company has claimed.

Communities secretary Sajid Javid has refused appeals from two solar developers to overturn refusals for proposed solar developments in the latest ruling to favour upkeep of the green belt over contributions to the national targets for renewable energy generation.

The chief executive of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has expressed the body’s disappointment over the delay in the government’s response to the NIC’s Smart Power report and its recommendations for electricity storage systems.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe has suggested the government is looking to level the playing field between public and private schools over the issue of solar business rates during a questions session in the House of Lords.

Public support for the government’s chosen energy generating technologies has seen a “statistically significant” drop according to the latest public attitudes survey from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).