UK lifts ban for wind and solar – first Euro major to change tack

The UK will lift its subsidy ban for onshore wind and solar, with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy overturning previous legislation which has stunted the country’s decarbonization efforts for over four years. Revoking its 2015 decision, newly appointed BEIS secretary Alok Sharma announced on Monday that solar, onshore wind, and potentially floating offshore wind, will be considered in the next round of contract-for-difference (CfD) auctions in 2021 to “make the most of every technology available.” The fourth procurement round under this scheme will be the first since to include these technologies since its round 1 auction in 2015 and also opens up opportunities for other “Pot 1” generation from hydro, landfill gas, sewage gas and energy-from-waste plus…