Lawyer welcomes ROC pledge

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A leading south west renewable energy lawyer has welcomed the Government’s announcement of support for solar and biomass renewable energy projects.

Sonya Bedford
Sonya Bedford

In order to encourage the installation of solar projects at large factory or warehouses and incentivise solar projects on buildings, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced that building-mounted solar PV projects will receive a separate Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC).

The Government has also said that it will ensure that biomass projects that are cost and carbon effective are brought forward, in an effort to unlock investment decisions worth £600 million, creating around 1,000 construction jobs.

Sonya Bedford, head of renewable energy at Stephens Scown LLP, welcomed the announcement and said: “The whole sector has been seeking certainty as to the banding for Solar PV under the ROC scheme in order to enable the large schemes to proceed.

“Many in the industry had been lobbying for a differentiation between building and ground mounted solar projects and it is encouraging to see the Government responding to that. It is however disappointing that the banding for ground mounted installations was not provided at 1.8 which was the recommendation from the solar community. I am also very pleased to see the importance of biomass being recognised.”

Stephens Scown has advised on some of the UK’s most innovative renewable energy projects, including Wave Hub at Hayle and Wheal Jane Solar Park in Truro.