Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of deterioration in normal operation on the efficiency assumptions for the new combined heat and power classifications.

Gregory Barker

In 2013 the Government reviewed the minimum performance standards for renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) set in our Quality Assurance programme. In response to the consultation responses on the proposed revisions we reviewed available data on renewable CHP performance, including deterioration. As a result of this review performance assumptions for new engines/turbines were relaxed in finalising the requirements based on evidence. In respect of deterioration in normal operation the Government reviewed CHP Quality Assurance data on the operational efficiency of eight renewable CHP schemes, each with 2-13 years operational data. Of these, three showed increasing efficiency over time and five showed no discernible increase or decrease over time.