Isonomia

by Jonathon Johns

One of the less remarked upon but highly significant changes announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement was a simplification of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). While the changes may appeal on the grounds of a claimed £272m reduction in compliance and reporting costs, they do nothing to stimulate renewed interest in on-site renewable energy generation by businesses, and need urgent revision if they are not to act as a disincentive.

Read more on CRC reform lets through a ray of light…

by Phillip Ward

It will no doubt take Owen Paterson a few days to uncover all the issues Caroline Spelman left in his in-tray.

One which has dipped under the radar is the promised revised guidance on applying the waste hierarchy.  Whilst it has been around for a long time, the hierarchy assumes greater significance now that the revised Waste Framework Directive gives its prioritisation of methods of waste treatment a statutory basis. Last year it was enshrined in England and Wales regulations that are now in force. Anyone creating or handling waste is already obliged to follow the hierarchy (Prevention, Preparing for Reuse, Recycling, Recovery or Disposal) and penalties can be imposed if they fail to do so. However, the guidance is a critical tool to enable the hierarchy to be applied in practice.

Read more on Reshuffling the waste hierarchy…

by Peter Jones OBE

In my experience, a uniting feature of governments of all political complexions is their capacity to base policy on fundamentally flawed assumptions, miss the overarching issues, and eschew sound science and rational economic models. DECC’s proposals on Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) Banding were a case in point, and the consultation, the results of which are due out this Spring, frustratingly allowed no scope to question the intellectual strength of the total package.

Read more on ROC bands – just keep it simple…

by Adam Baddeley

The question everyone is asking around anaerobic digestion (AD) is why, with positive incentives (ROCs, FITs, RHI etc), and with the political parties seemingly aligned in their support of the technology, is the pace of development not more rapid?

Read more on Where are all the AD facilities?…