Pumpitup

The UK government’s impending ban on large-scale heat pump projects represents a significant blow to the country’s decarbonization efforts. Large-scale heat pumps are one of the primary technologies for decarbonizing heat, and banning them will only serve to hinder progress towards net zero emissions.

This policy, currently under consultation until July 7th, will effectively ban large-scale heat pump projects, with proposed support restricted to off-grid domestic settings and rare district heat initiatives. This is a mistake for energy policy for several reasons.

Reason #1: Cleaning up our national heat supply is the next frontier in the race to achieve net zero emissions. An effective ban on one of the primary technologies for decarbonizing heat is nonsensical. Large-scale heat pumps can have a significant impact across a broad range of industries, from retail and academia to agriculture and utilities. By removing support for large-scale heat pumps, the UK government risks stifling innovation and progress towards a green recovery.

Reason #2: The existing government support mechanism for stimulating heat decarbonization, the Renewable Heat Incentive, has dramatically under-delivered. While 2 million projects generating 73TWh of clean heat were envisaged, fewer than 100,000 projects generating 13TWh of clean heat have been delivered. The lack of surety on offer to heat pump projects for the first decade of the mechanism, before the introduction of Tariff Guarantees, was certainly a contributory factor.

Reason #3: Heat pump projects have been crowded out in the early years by biomass projects within the RHI, and gas CHP projects without the RHI. However, heat pump projects have recently started to take root as a low carbon, low emission solution. The updating of building regulations, long overdue and out of kilter with even modest decarbonization objectives, is expected to further lift the handbrake on heat pump projects. Increasing the pace of heat pump deployment will only be possible if the burgeoning pipeline of nationwide projects is not decimated in the interim.

Reason #4: Industry leaders across a range of sectors have identified large-scale heat pumps as central to their decarbonization strategies. The successful operation of pioneering projects over multiple years has helped to breed confidence.

Reason #5: An active pipeline of innovation and investment across these organizations presumes access to some form of government support following the closure of the Renewable Heat Incentive. Ideally, this would be similar in format to the RHI and make use of the significant funds unallocated by the RHI due to aspects of poor policy design.

Reason #6: That pipeline, together with the enormous potential for further heat decarbonization across multiple sectors, now finds itself facing an existential threat. If the UK government bans large-scale heat pump projects, it risks derailing efforts to decarbonize heat and meet the country’s net zero emissions target.

Reason #7: That’s why our coalition of organizations is challenging the government to pause and rethink the future support it makes available to large-scale heat pump projects. With the UK’s legal commitment to net zero and its position as hosts of COP 26, it’s more critical than ever to encourage the development of technologies that can help achieve these goals. Removing support for large-scale heat pumps represents an impending energy policy facepalm.

The government acknowledges the extremely important role of large-scale heat pumps in heat decarbonization, and we urge them to act accordingly. With billions of pounds of investment and thousands of jobs at stake, we cannot afford to make hasty decisions that will impede progress towards a greener, more sustainable future.

In conclusion, the UK government’s proposed ban on large-scale heat pump projects is a shortsighted decision that will have significant negative impacts on the country’s decarbonization efforts.