Call for evidence outcome

Enabling a high renewable, net zero electricity system: call for evidence

From:: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Published: 14 December 2020
Last updated: 26 July 2021 — See all updates

Download the full outcome

Enabling a high renewable, net zero electricity system: government response to call for evidence

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Detail of outcome

Our focus in this call for evidence was on understanding how a range of policies supporting the deployment of renewable technology should adapt over the next decade, focusing on 3 key areas:

maintaining growth in renewable deployment to meet net zero
ensuring overall system costs are minimised for electricity consumers
supporting and adapting to innovative technologies and business models

This government response provides a summary of the views received which will inform our approach to the long-term future of renewable support and the future design of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. Further dialogue will be vital as we adapt to meet the decarbonisation challenges of Carbon Budget 6 (CB6) and net zero, and we will consult on any future policy proposals.

The response to this call for evidence has crystalised our view that longer-term changes for renewables will need to be considered holistically as part of a wider approach to the electricity market. We need to remain on track to deliver the deployment and energy system required for CB6 and net zero, but also do this in the most efficient way. With this mind, alongside this government response we are also publishing the Capacity Market call for evidence seeking views on improving assurance that capacity will deliver when required, and how to better align with decarbonisation of the power sector, such as enhancing participation of low carbon power.

We received 103 responses to our call for evidence considering the long-term nature of renewable electricity, spread across a range of stakeholders:

industry: including developers, suppliers, generators, service providers, manufacturing and consultancy – 54 responses
public sector organisations: including devolved administrations, local authorities, and government agencies – 3 responses
private citizens: 5 responses
delivery: including network operators and government delivery partners – 3 responses
finance: including investment firms and organisations – 7 responses
research: including academia, thinktanks and research institutions – 12 responses
public and commercial representation: including trade associations, industry bodies, charities, advocacy groups and advice services – 19 responses

Original call for evidence

Call for evidence description

Extension to consultation end date

In the light of COVID-19, we have extended the consultation period to 8 March 2021 to give people more time to respond.

Achieving our ambitious climate targets will require significant levels of renewable deployment. Making sure we have the right policy framework to support this deployment will be crucial to delivering net zero while minimising costs for consumers.

The government is seeking views on how the industry is approaching the financing and deployment of renewable technologies, and how this may change in the future.

Responses will be used to explore options to evolve the current Contracts for Difference (CfD) mechanism for future allocation rounds.

See the BEIS consultation privacy notice.

Please do not send responses by post to the department at the moment as we may not be able to access them.

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