Funding Projects

The DTI's Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Phase one of the low carbon buildings programme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust. It will provide grants for microgeneration technologies to householders, community organisations, schools, the public and not for profit sector and private businesses.

The following can apply now for a low carbon buildings grant under stream 1 of phase one of the programme:

Home owners
SME’s
Public or charity sector organisation

Microgeneration technologies:

The DTI’s low carbon buildings grant will fund a number of technologies including:

Solar photovoltaics
Wind turbines
Small hydro
Solar thermal hot water
Ground/water/air source heat pumps
Bio-energy
Renewable CHP
MicroCHP (Combined heat and power)
Fuel cells

To find out more about phase one of the programme, the technologies it covers and how to apply, go to the web site http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home

Stream two is for medium and large microgeneration projects by public, not for profit and commercial organisations.

Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme - Round 3

Support for biomass heat

Funding for a new biomass heat capital grant scheme was announced in the Climate Change Programme Review and in the Government response to the Biomass Task Force report. The scheme will support the installation of biomass-fuelled heat and combined heat and power projects in the industrial, commercial and community sectors. It will run for five years and will be worth some £10-15m in England over the two financial years to 31 March 2008.

Key points as follows:

Grant rate - Capital grants will be awarded towards the cost of the heat or combined heat and power equipment
There will be a variable rate up to a maximum of 40% of the difference in cost compared with installation of a fossil fuel alternative
Eligibility criteria - minimum and/or maximum awards. The minimum limit will be £25,000 and the maximum single award will be £1m. Exceptionally would consider making higher awards for multiple or bundled applications
Sectoral coverage - The scheme will be open to applications from the industrial, commercial and community sectors

"Community" will include local authorities, schools, etc. Will not be targeting any specific or particular technology nor sector or sub-sector. Applications will be accepted from installers as well as the end-user/ultimate beneficiary.

AEA Energy & Environment, part of AEA Technology plc, will be administering the call for bids on Defra’s behalf. Full details, including the guidance notes and application form are available on their website: http://www.aea-energy-and-environment.com/index2.htm

A new round of the Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme funded by Defra

The purpose of the Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme is to promote the efficient use of biomass for energy, by stimulating the early deployment of biomass fuelled heat and biomass combined heat and power projects.

It will do this by awarding capital grants towards the cost of equipment in complete installations. The Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme is a joint initiative by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the National Lottery Big Lottery Fund (BIG) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

This round will be funded by Defra and will follow Defra funding rules. The Defra scheme is for England only and aimed at the following groups in the commercial, industrial and community sectors:

Organisations that are considering investing in heat and/or combined heat and power projects fuelled by energy crops and other biomass feedstocks
Installers of biomass heating and CHP equipment

It is not aimed at householders or individuals who should consider the Low Carbon Buildings Programme administered by the DTI.

For guidance notes: http://www.aea-energy-and-environment.com/document/guidance.pdf

All enquiries should be addressed to AEA Energy & Environment at defracapitalgrants@aeat.co.uk

Green Energy Fund

For further information, please view the EDF Green Energy Fund application guidelines document here

Biomass Energy centre

The BEC aims to draw together information from existing sources into one easy to use service based around this website and an information enquiry service. Still in the early stages of development, this website focuses on the various biomass fuel types that are commercially available or being researched. It provides basic information on fuel processing and supply chains, currently with an emphasis on woodfuel and heat production.

http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk