How are generators paid?
Offgrid offers a payment of 4.5p/kWh for the total generation from renewable generators that are on the scheme. The payment is less a charge for Good Energy administering the scheme. This will generally be as little as £20 per year and no more than £100.
Offgrid payments are made on an annual basis and all generators will receive a yearly statement along with a payment by cheque in April or May each year. In return for your payment Good Energy will claim and receive your Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) and Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) from Ofgem.
What are Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs)?
Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) are awarded by Ofgem, the electricity regulator, for every 1MWh of power generated from a renewable source. They have a market value in the order of 4p/kWh (the value depends on the level of buyout set by the government and the total renewable generation as a proportion of supply).
What are Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs)?
These are used by suppliers to prove they supply renewable energy. On their own they don’t have a market value at present.
Who claims my ROCs & REGOs?
As part of the Offgrid contract, Good Energy will claim all ROCs & REGOs as an agent on behalf of each generator. Generators will not need to make the claims themselves.
Good Energy includes the benefit of ROCs & REGOs in our offer, and asks that all generators are ROC & REGO accredited by Ofgem or agree to go through the accreditation process. We will help you with this process as much as we can and will act as an “agent” in order to claim ROCs and REGOs on your behalf. This allows us to claim for all our smaller generators together which increases the value of the certificates for us and reduces the work for you!
We make an annual claim for the certificates that our generators have produced and to do so we will ask for an annual read from all generators on 1 April each year.
What if I don’t want Good Energy to be my Agent anymore?
If you ever decide you don’t want Good Energy to be your agent any more you can contact both us and Ofgem to tell us. In most cases Ofgem and Good Energy would expect at least a month’s notice and for the date of the change to be on the 1 April.
Once we stop being your agent you will no longer be eligible for the Offgrid generation scheme.
What types of renewable generators qualify for the scheme?
Our Offgrid scheme includes solar, small-scale wind and small-scale hydro electric generators of less than 10kW in size. For other types of generation, email us at offgrid@good-energy.co.uk, or call our Offgrid Generation Team on 0845 456 1640.
How do you record my generation?
All generators must have a meter that measures the renewable generator’s total generation. This “total generation meter” must be Ofgem approved so that we can claim ROCs and REGOs. Please see the Ofgem PDF file for a list of approved total generation meters. Your installer should be aware of this and you will need to speak to them to ensure that the meter they fit is approved. If these meters are not approved then the generator is not eligible to be part of the scheme.
What about generators that may be too big for Offgrid?
We ask that generators that are greater than 10kW to fill out and return a Renewable Generator form so that we can assess which of our schemes is right for your generation. Please view our scheme for medium size generators - Smart Generation, or if you have a large commercial generator visit our Power Purchase Agreements section.
Can you offer any installation advice?
At the moment we don’t offer any technical or installation advice on microgeneration, however we recommend contacting the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 or visiting www.est.org.uk/myhome/generating. For micro wind generators we would also recommend visiting the British Wind Energy Association’s website www.bwea.org/small, which will provide a list of accredited turbine installers and lots of useful information.
Can I get a grant for my installation?
You may be eligible for a grant towards to the cost of your renewable generator. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme is the government grant scheme and is administered by the Energy Savings Trust. The programme is UK wide (apart from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and will provide grants for renewable technologies. Please visit www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home/ for more information or contact the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 or visiting www.est.org.uk/myhome/generating
In Scotland you may also be eligible for help under The Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/schri/
Can Good Energy estimate how many units you will generate?
We can estimate how many units may be produced from a certain installation dependent on the size and type of generation, taking into account the renewable source. Your installer should be able to give you a figure for the average annual output or contact us on 0845 456 1640 to find out what your generation could be.
What happens to the electricity I generate?
We hope you find this diagram helpful in illustrating how a typical Offgrid Generator generates and uses the power on site, and may store some of the electricity generated.
Useful definitions
Renewable generator: Electricity generation technologies that use renewable resources, such as wind, wave, solar, biomass and small-scale hydro power to generate electricity.
Small-scale generators: Small-scale generators are also known as microgenerators. These range from 1kW to 50kW installed capacity. Good Energy’s Home Generation scheme is specifically designed for generators under 6kW’s.
Installed capacity: this is the maximum power that can be generated if the generator is working at its full potential, also known as its maximum power rating. It is normally measured in kW or MW. An average solar PV site is about 1 kW and Good Energy’s Delabole wind farm, which supplies 2,500 of our customers is 4 MW (4,000 kW).
Total Generation Meter, its make and model: This meter is installed at the inverter (which converts the generators electrical output from DC to AC), to record the total electricity generated by your renewable generator. The meter make and model is normally found on the total generation meter, and the meter serial number is often represented as a barcode under the total generation meter, and is a unique number.
Ofgem: Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, the industry regulator. www.ofgem.gov.uk
Ofgem-accredited Total Generation Meter: A total generation meter that has been accredited by Ofgem to receive payment for all renewable benefits, including ROCs.
Electrical schematic diagram: A simple diagram of the electrical connections for your renewable generator, as specified in the FAQ’s, that includes the generator, import meter, any export meter, and the inverter and associated wiring.
Offgrid Generation Payments: Payments credited to you via cheque for each unit of electricity that you generate.
Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs): Awarded by Ofgem with every 1 MWh of power generated from a renewable source. This value varies each year with normal market forces, just like any other tradable commodity.
Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs): Awarded by Ofgem with every 1 MWh of power generated from a renewable source. Good Energy uses REGOs to prove that the electricity we supply is 100% renewable. REGO’s currently have no market value.
ROC & REGO register: Ofgem issues ROCs and REGOs to internet-based registers. Each renewable generator can be issued with a ROC and REGO register unless they nominate a supply company, like Good Energy, to be issued the ROCs and REGOs on their behalf.
