Renewable Obligation Certificates

The Renewables Obligation (RO), the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) (ROS) and the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) are designed to incentivise renewable generation into the electricity generation market. These schemes were introduced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Scottish Executive and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment respectively. The three schemes are administered by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (the Authority), whose day to day functions are performed by Ofgem. Micro-generating systems do not qualify for RO support as they will be eligible for FIT’s.

The Orders advise that ROCs cannot be issued after 31 March 2037 under the RO and ROS and after 31 March 2033 under the NIRO. The Orders limit the length of time that an operator of a generating station can be issued with ROCs to twenty years.

The main technologies which qualify for support are:

• Biomass CHP
• Gasification
• Pyrolysis
• Energy from waste
• Anaerobic digestion
• Solar PV
• Geothermal
• Tidal
• Wind

What is a ROC?

A ROC is a certificate issued for eligible renewable source electricity generated within the United Kingdom and supplied to customers in Great Britain or Northern Ireland by a licensed supplier. The amount of electricity in MWh that needs to be generated for a ROC to be issued depends on a combination of factors – please call for further details