FAQs
Why has the 1MW threshold been set for biomass sustainability reporting?
Because it is considered excessively onerous for smaller installations.
Chapter 5 of the government's RHI announcement says
1 MWth threshold
There are two key considerations determining the amount of biomass feedstock which will be consumed by RHI generators. Heat generation is typically highly efficient, requiring only around a third of the biomass feedstock used by an equivalent capacity electricity plant. This is balanced by expectations that a number of small/medium sized RHI participants may come forward relatively quickly and collectively consume a significant volume of biomass.
The minimum 1 MWth threshold has been set as a pragmatic compromise in this context. We have decided that setting a minimum 1 MWth threshold will provide us with valuable information on the sourcing trends of medium/large participants and an opportunity to identify issues which need to be addressed when we design the RHI’s sustainability criteria, whilst not placing an onerous data collection burden on smaller non-energy professional participants in the scheme.
