The feed in tariff deployment cap for all anaerobic digestion installations was reached just 15 minutes and 28 seconds after the scheme reopened – at lower tariff levels – after a four-week pause on 8 February. The cap was also reached for wind with 50-100kW capacity (after 15 minutes 14 seconds); wind with 100-1500kW capacity (after 18 minutes 34 seconds); and standalone PV (after 1 hour 15 minutes).

Under the revised scheme, the feed in tariff rate falls by 10% automatically if a technology deployment quarterly cap is reached, on top of the planned degression.

The quarterly spending caps were introduced by the department for energy and climate change (Decc) last year as way to control spending on the feed in tariff. Detailed caps are set out for each technology and size.  Installations that did not get FIT deployment this go around will be queued for entry into the next available deployment cap. According to the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), the second quarter cap for anaerobic digestion has already been reached, while the third quarter cap is nearly full as well.  

Decc said it would review eligibility and the balance of caps between technologies next year, and will consider whether there are grounds to review tariffs again. At the time, it said that review “will take account of factors including deployment levels, broader policy objectives, state aid constraints and value for money”.

Read the data: Ofgem: FIT Deployment caps that have been reached in tariff period 1 (February 8 – March 31 2016) as at 00:00 on 09 February 2016

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: FIT review leaves PV focus on rooftop scale (from the New Power Archives)

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