Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED)

The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) has the job within Government of ensuring that we meet our targets for renewable energy. ORED works closely with delivery partners and stakeholders to help accelerate deployment.

Delivering an increase in renewable energy is a complex challenge. It requires work across 3 sectors and at least 22 technologies and has key dependencies with many other policy areas (e.g. Energy Market Reform, energy efficiency, grid, planning, transport, and environment). Managing this complexity and the interfaces with related areas requires a structured approach to work.

The work of ORED is made up of three key components:

• Financial support for renewables – The UK is establishing a financial framework that provides long-term, comprehensive and targeted support for renewable technologies. The main financial incentives are the Renewables Obligation, the Feed in Tariff, and the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation [External link] which is managed by the Department for Transport. We have also recently consulted on the possible introduction of a Renewable Heat Incentive. In addition to this support, the Government is looking into the possibility of a Green Investment Bank to help fund the introduction of renewable energy.
• Unblocking barriers to delivery – ORED is taking steps to identify and address those issues that affect the timely deployment of established renewable technologies such as: the planning system; supply chains; connection to the grid; and availability and use of sustainable bioenergy. ORED is looking at ways to provide opportunities for communities to benefit through the promotion of community-owned renewable energy schemes. For example, ORED is currently investigating the possibility of communities that host renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates they generate as part of these schemes. This way local people will benefit from the power they are producing.

Additionally, ORED works to bring forward those technologies which are still at relatively early stages of development and demonstration but are expected to be important contributors for the pathway to 2050, such as marine. The world’s first full-scale wave and tidal stream devices are British innovations, which show we have the skills and know-how to develop a new world-leading UK-based energy sector and ORED is currently considering in detail how creating a network of marine energy parks can work to push the sector forward.

The Government has also announced the promotion of anaerobic digestion as a key area for further development, and we are currently working with stakeholders to develop a strategy for delivering this commitment.

The Government has also recently launched the Energy Generation and Supply Knowledge Transfer Network (EG&S KTN) Energy Funding Landscape Navigator [External link]. This online resource, created by the Knowledge Transfer team at the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), takes users through the energy funding landscape, providing clear guidance on the key public bodies and support mechanisms for UK energy projects. This enables technology companies to search a live list of energy RDD&D opportunities and provides help in finding the right partners to build project teams.

ORED has also provided targeted intervention for established technologies in areas where government action can leverage significant benefits for renewables deployment and the renewables industry in the UK. For example, ORED is helping to set up a project to encourage wind turbine manufacturers to locate in the UK and also looking to support the development of an offshore electricity grid.