Why Do We Need Microgeneration?

Microgeneration helps to combat climate change. The Climate Change Act 2008 includes a legally binding target of at least 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, to be achieved through action in the UK and abroad, and a reduction in emissions of at least 34 per cent by 2020 (against a 1990 baseline). At EU level, the Renewables Directive sets targets for each member state for the proportion of energy generation that should come from renewable sources by 2020.. the EU has a 20% renewables target by 2020 and the UK's legally binding target is 15%
We have a lot of Ground to make up in order to meet these targets and need all the tools at our disposal - including microgeneration.

The average home in the UK currently consumes around 4,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per annum. A typical sized domestic PV installation of 2.5 kWp will generate 2,125kWh of electricity per annum whilst air source heat pumps can provide can provide 100% of space heating and 50% hot water. So, combined with energy efficiency measures, microgeneration installations can make a meaningful contribution towards a household's energy needs.

Microgeneration can enable householders and small business owners to generate cost-effective energy and save carbon at the same time: for example, a micro-CHP unit will deliver the same comfort levels as a modern boiler, whilst reducing the emissions of a typical house by 1.5 tonnes (around 25%) of CO2 per year. Micro-wind turbines and solar panels, can cut energy bills by up to £100 per year or be integrated with other microgeneration technologies to create genuine zero carbon homes.

And what's more, microgeneration is set to become even more cost-effective compared to conventional fuels: microgeneration technologies are on a descending cost trajectory because economies of scale are still developing in both manufacturing and installation. Meanwhile costs and prices of conventional fuels are rising.

Since microgeneration is, by definition, decentralised, energy is not wasted in transmission and distribution - or as waste heat as with large power stations.

Under the Feed-in Tariff, microgeneration technologies can even provide an additional income stream: for example, a 62 m2 new build end-of-terrace property built to Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable homes will consume 1,993 kilowatt hours of electricity, according to the UK Government's Standard Assessment Procedure. A typical 2.5 kilowatt PV system, requiring around 20 m2 of roof space, could produce up to 2,125 kilowatt hours a year, allowing excess electricity to be sold to the utility company.

Microgeneration technologies also have an important role to play in helping to tackle fuel poverty: micro-scale technologies such as wind turbines and solar thermal can be effectively utilised to provide cost-secure electricity and heating for fuel poor households, to offset fuel bills whilst making a contribution to tackling climate change. This is particularly important in rural areas, where the favoured means of support is often oil-fired or electric heating. Micro-scale technologies can help to keep the energy costs for vulnerable groups under control.

Microgeneration can reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels, increasing our national energy security.

•Microgeneration is a catalyst for cultural change. There are wider benefits than just cost and carbon reduction: consumers with microgeneration installations in their homes become noticeably more ‘energy aware' and, as a result, patterns of energy usage change for the better