Microgeneration Strategy Consultation

Overview

This consultation was carried out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In July 2016, the department merged with the Department for Business and Innovation and Skills to form the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

This strategy explores a range of non-financial barriers that have the potential to prevent the microgeneration sector from realising its full potential. The document summarises the issues, presents the evidence, makes specific proposals and seeks responses to a range of policy questions. The document is the result of a collaborative consultation process.

The Government first invited a cross-section of those with knowledge and expertise in the field to contribute to the development of this draft strategy. Four working groups were set up to look at key policy areas. The process was facilitated by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes and each working group comprised representatives from trade associations, consumer bodies and other representative groups (rather than individual companies).The four groups covered are as follows:

• Quality: to ensure consumers have confidence that equipment and installation is reliable and adheres to the highest standards.
   
• Technology: to examine how to improve performance.
   
• Skills: to develop the microgeneration supply chain to ensure it is properly equipped with the right people to meet the expected rise in demand, as well as creating and sustaining jobs in the UK.
   
• Microgeneration information and advice: to provide more accessible advice and information about microgeneration to consumers. 

The consultation is structured around these four issues. The final chapter looks at broader issues, with a focus on community – level solutions and de-centralised energy more generally.

The deadline for responses to the consultation was 16 March 2011.

The Government is considering responses to the Microgeneration Strategy consultation and will publish a summary of responses shortly. We aim to publish the Microgeneration Strategy in Summer 2011.