Energy: Technology

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent promoting the development and deployment of (a) low carbon and (b) energy efficiency technology in 2008-09; how much such funding has been allocated to those technologies in each of the next three years; what assessment he has made of the contribution to the environmental technology economy made by projects in each area funded by his Department; and what mechanisms are in place to monitor the level of that contribution. (320057)

The principal funding mechanism for demonstrating low carbon and energy efficiency technologies in 2008-09 was the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF). In 2008-09 it spent £92 million. Spending figures for 2009-10 will be finalised after the end of the financial year. Final allocations for 2010-11 have not been agreed. In addition to the ETF, in Budget 2009, we announced up to £90 million for FEED studies in support of the first CCS demonstration competition, and a further £45 million for microgeneration. Budget 2009 also announced £155 million for low carbon technologies in 2009-10 and 2010-11. A number of other DECC-funded schemes, such as funding for interest-free energy efficiency loans for small and medium enterprises, also support deployment and demonstration of low carbon technologies.

No formal assessment has been made of the contribution to the environmental technology economy consequent on this funding. Economic impact was one of the considerations for allocation of the low carbon investment funding announced in 2009. It is our intention to evaluate programmes operated under the ETF and other technology support.