Feed-in Tariffs (FIT)

On 31 August 2021 changes were introduced through our guidance for licensed electricity suppliers to permanently allow the use of generator-submitted photographic evidence as part of the biennial meter verification process, replacing a temporary allowance that was issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that licensees do not need to visit a site and physically inspect meters to fulfil their duty to verify generation and export readings.

See our consultation decision

In response to the unprecedented circumstances faced by prospective FIT generators during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government amended the Feed-in Tariffs Order 2012. The Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Order 2020 and the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No.2) Order 2020 collectively grant a 12 month extension to validity periods for all pre-registrations for community energy solar photovoltaic (PV) installations and all preliminary accreditations which originally expired on or after 1 March 2020.

On 18 December 2018 the following changes were introduced to the scheme through the The Feed-in Tariffs (Closure, etc.) Order 2018:

• closure of the scheme to new applications from 1 April 2019, barring exceptions for a grid or radar delay grace periods and MCS-FIT installations which commissioned before this date.
• introduction of metered export to the levelisation calculation.
   

On 20 March 2017 the following change was introduced to the scheme through the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) Order 2017:

• All AD installations that made an application after 1 May 2017 are required to comply with sustainability criteria and will have their FIT generation payments limited according to feedstock type (referred to as feedstock restrictions).

On 1 April 2017 the following changes were introduced to the scheme through the Modifications to the standard conditions of the electricity supply licences 2017 together with the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) Order 2017:

• introduction of 6-monthly 5 Megawatt deployment caps and contingent degression for micro combined heat and power installations
• amended future generation tariff rates for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) installations and introduction of default degression mechanism for AD.
   

On 15 January 2016 the following changes were introduced to the scheme through the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 2015.

• The FIT scheme was paused from 15 January to 7 February 2016 (inclusive). During this time, no new installations could be accredited.
• Extensions to accredited installations commissioned on or after 15 January 2016 were no longer eligible to the scheme.

Several changes were introduced to the scheme on 8 February 2016 through the Modifications to the standard conditions of the electricity supply licences (No3. of 2015) together with the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 2015. This included:

• deployment caps for all technologies and capacities, except for micro-CHP
• changes to the default and contingent degression mechanisms which reduce generation tariff rates
• re-introduction of preliminary accreditation for ROO-FIT installations
• amendments to the energy efficiency requirement (EER) for solar PV installations.
• from 9 May the EER was further amended to require solar PV installations under 250 kilowatt to have an Energy Performance Certificate issued before the commissioning date in order to receive the higher tariff rate.
   

On 1 April 2015 an amended definition of ‘community organisation’ and additional benefits available to community energy installations were introduced by the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) Order 2015.

On 1 October 2015 the following changes were made to the FIT scheme by the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2015:

• removal of the tariff guarantee for community energy installations applying for pre-registration
• removal of preliminary accreditation for ROO-FIT installations
   

From 14 July 2014 provisions were made to withdraw ROO-FIT preliminary accreditation of certain hydro generating stations by the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) Order 2014.

On 16 December 2014 we published our consultation on the use of automatic meter readers (AMRs) as part of the biennial meter verification (BMV) process under the FIT scheme. Based on the responses, changes were made to our guidance for licensed electricity suppliers. 
 

On 23 February 2010 we issued our Feed-in Tariff “Generating equipment” decision, which outlined our interpretation of which pieces of plant were considered to constitute the installation for each technology. If all the “generating equipment” was removed from the installation, it would be deemed decommissioned and its participation in the FIT scheme would end.

On 1 July 2013 the following provisions were introduced to the FIT scheme by the Feed-in Tariffs (Amendment) Order 2013 together with the Modifications to the standard conditions of the electricity supply licences 2013:

• the process of mutualisation was introduced in the event of a licensed electricity supplier being unable to make the whole or part of a levelisation payment into Ofgem's Levelisation Fund
• introduction of instructions to deal with the treatment of FIT generators and FIT payments in the event of their FIT licensee having their electricity supply licence revoked or suffering an insolvency event.
   

Under the Modifications to the standard conditions of the electricity supply licences (No2. of 2012), from 1 April 2012 onwards solar PV installations with a capacity of 250kW and below have to meet an energy efficiency requirement. This, along with the introduction of the multi-installation rule, introduced the high, middle and lower tariff rates for PV installations.

On 1 December 2012, several changes were implemented to the scheme by the Feed-in Tariffs Order 2012 (PDF) and the Modifications to the standard conditions of the electricity supply licences (No4. of 2012), including introduction of:

• ROO-FIT preliminary accreditation
• a degression mechanism to reduce generation tariffs
• pre-registration for community energy and school installations, which provided the benefits of a tariff guarantee and relaxation to the energy efficiency requirement.

Further clarification on the eligibility of installations which had received public grants was provided in the Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment) Order 2011, which came into effect on 30 May 2011.

The FIT scheme was launched on 1 April 2010 through the Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) Order 2010.