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- Councils allowed to sell electricity
- 2010
- Join the Big Climate Connection
- The UK's Climate Change Act goes on tour
- Gulf of Mexico oil spill
- Science demands we Get Serious About CO2
- Climate change reports and briefings round-up
- Under inspection
- Planning and the climate challenge
- Councils getting paid to generate green energy
- Bonn climate talks
- Key role for local councils if UK is to meet renewable energy targets
- Join the debate - Change trade not our climate
- Councils allowed to sell electricity
- The Robin Hood Tax
- Friends of the Earth in private meeting at UN
- Goodbye, de Boer
- Elementary, my dear Watson
- An evening of climate justice - London
- 100 days in and a long way to go
- Good Energy winter price freeze
- Big step forward for Warm Homes campaign
- Charities unite to protect tenants from cold
- One in three Brits too cold at home
- Insulating homes could save lives
- UK’s poorest left out in the cold by Government cuts
- Councils leading the way with green policies
- Councils petition Huhne for local action on climate
- Adios, amigos
- Big boost for Local Carbon Budgets campaign
Councils allowed to sell electricity23 August 2010
From this week councils are allowed to make money from selling green energy again - great news for cash-strapped local authorities, communities and for the climate.
The Government's announcement means councils can now benefit in full from Feed-in Tariffs (FITs).
Friends of the Earth successfully led the campaign for FITs. The FIT pays residents, businesses, organisations, communities and public bodies like councils a guaranteed income for each unit of green electricity they produce.
And most recipients are also rewarded for any surplus power that they sold back to the grid.
But not councils. Thanks to arcane rules dating back to the energy sector privatisation in the 1980s, local authorities were prevented from selling electricity.
This meant they couldn't benefit from the FIT in full - making it less likely they'd surge ahead with producing their own low-carbon energy.
Following pressure from Friends of the Earth, the Government has now relaxed the rules, and from 18 August 2010 councils can claim the full FIT.
That means councils can now generate cash as they generate power - money that can go to other win-win green schemes like making homes energy efficient, which will slash energy bills, tackling fuel poverty and create green jobs.
Local Carbon Budgets
Our Get Serious About CO2 campaign is calling for local carbon budgets for all councils.
Local carbon budgets would mean that all local authorities have the support to lead effective carbon dioxide reduction strategies across their local area.
Take action
Please ask your MP to support legislation for local carbon budgets.
© Balthazar Serreau
