Grants Information - All
Buildings
Low Carbon Buildings Programme
Householders
There are a very limited number of grants are available for householders and these are available through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme:
UK
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's (BERR) low carbon buildings programme provides grants for householders.
Grants are available for microgeneration technologies including: solar photovoltaic, wind turbines, small scale hydro, solar water heating, heat pumps and bioenergy. The programme will also fund renewable CHP, micro CHP and fuel cells.
Please see the low carbon buildings programme website for more information.
Scotland
The Scottish Community Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI ) provides grants for properties in Scotland. This is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by the Energy Saving Trust.
Grants are available for solar water heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal space heating, small scale wind and hydro systems, ground source heat pumps and biomass. Funding for householders is set at 30% of the installed cost up to £4,000.
If you live in Scotland you can choose to have a SCHRI or a low carbon buildings programme grant. However, you can only apply for one grant per technology from either of these programmes. You cannot have a grant from both programmes for one technology.
Please see the SCHRI website for more information or call the SCHRI Hotline on 0800 138 8858
Northern Ireland
The Environment and Renewable Energy Fund provides renewable energy grants for householders in Northern Ireland.
For more information about the technologies, please visit our technology section
The Carbon Trust is an independent government funded company. Their mission is to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.
Carbon Trust Loans Run your business on renewable energy
Switching to a renewable energy source makes sound economic sense for your business.
Installing renewable equipment such as solar heating, a biomass boiler or a ground source heat pump can lower your operating costs. It is also an effective way to cut your carbon emissions.
Another benefit of using renewable energy is that it can improve your reputation as a socially responsible business. And upgrading to new equipment needn't be expensive.
The carbon Trust offers interest free loans to small or medium sized businesses to help cover the cost. You can borrow from £5,000 to £100,000 - with the repayments based on the savings- you stand to make by using less energy.
Innovation
Carbon Trust Algae Fuels Initiative
The Trust is still in the process of assessing the case for investment in algae bioenergy research and development. If a strong case can be made, it will invest up to £5m in algal bioenergy systems projects over the next 1-3 years. It plans to provide this funding using funding scheme that we have called the Algae Fuels Initiative.
If it proceeds with the Algae Fuels Initiative the call for proposals will be announced in September 2008. Further details will be provided on this web page in due course, so please check back frequently.
Carbon Trust Pyrolysis Challenge
As part of its mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy, the Carbon Trust develops commercially-viable low carbon technologies, through partnerships, funding, expert advice and outcome-driven research and demonstration.
Carbon Trust Investments finances emerging clean energy technology businesses that demonstrate commercial potential. It specialises in identifying and investing in early stage technologies and credible management teams with the ability to create and deliver clean energy businesses. It is a co-investor of choice in the low carbon technology field. The investments team is strongly supported by in-house technical and strategy groups
Carbon Trust Applied Research Grants
The call for applications is now open until 5pm, 7th August 2008.
Applied Research Grant funding is available to businesses and research institutions and aims to support the development and commercialisation of technology with the potential to reduce UK carbon dioxide emissions.
SUPERGEN: Supporting the development of future low carbon power generation and supply technologies
SUPERGEN is a £25M initiative launched by EPSRC in 2001 that is sponsoring research into low carbon generation and supply options. Carbon Vision is contributing an additional £4-6M to SUPERGEN over the next four years to extend and expand the programme in areas that will specifically deliver low carbon power.
SUPERGEN was established to address the following key areas:
- The sustainable and efficient generation of electrical power from low carbon, zero-carbon or carbon neutral generation systems based on a life-cycle analysis.
- The distribution, control, monitoring, stability, supply and connection of electrical power or energy carrier.
- The evolution of alternative energy vectors, carriers, conversion technologies or generation systems.
Carbon trust Marine Energy Accelerator
The Carbon Trust's current marine energy initiative is the Marine Energy Accelerator. This aims to accelerate progress in cost reduction of marine energy (wave and tidal stream energy) technologies, to bring forward the time when marine energy becomes cost-competitive so that significant carbon emissions reductions are achieved.
Carbon Trust Seeks Funding Partners for its Offshore Wind Accelerator
In 2006 the Stern report identified the urgent need for the UK to develop technologies to deliver low carbon electricity. The Carbon Trust believes that offshore wind will be an essential part of a portfolio of such technologies if the country is to achieve a 60-80% carbon reduction by 2050, and also meet nearer-term UK and EU targets for an increasing amount of energy from renewables.
Carbon Trust - ANGLE Incubator
The Carbon Trust - ANGLE Incubator provides funded Management services to help early-stage businesses developing or exploiting low-carbon technology. Businesses and projects accepted into the programme receive services funded by the Carbon Trust and delivered by experienced consultants and advisors from ANGLE and trusted partners.
Carbon Connections Higher Education Innovation Fund
If you have an innovative idea for a new technology or behavioural change but you need a little assistance to make it a reality then carbon Connections may be able to help.
The Carbon Connections Development Fund managed by the University of East Anglia and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England has been set up to support organisations with innovative projects for carbon reduction. See website for example of projects.
European Development Funding (ERDF) - open call
The main theme of the ERDF programme throughout the seven year funding period, is supporting low carbon economic growth in the region. Funding will support initiatives that meet the programme's three priorities (axes) as well as environmental, sustainable and equality criteria.
EEDA - Framework Programme 7 Support
Creating new products and services that convincingly out-perform competitors' offerings is seldom cheap or simple. And that's why smart firms are using new approaches to build business development networks.
Boasting a budget of over £50 billion, Framework Programme 7 (FP7) is the European Union's biggest initiative for funding collaborative research and development projects across Europe. Moreover, it could provide your businesses with a unique opportunity to build those pan-European supply chains while developing new products for international markets.
EEDA - proof of concept fund, R&D
The Proof of Concept fund is a scheme designed to help you and other entrepreneurs in the East of England test the commercial viability of innovative business ideas. It is specifically aimed at helping you define the market and assess your customers' needs. Grants of between £5,000 and £40,000 are available but limited to 75 per cent of the project's total cost.
DEFRA Bioenergy Capital Grants
The scheme supports the installation of biomass-fuelled heat and combined heat and power projects in the industrial, commercial and community sectors. The funding only includes England and was launched in April 08. The scheme is open to the industrial, commercial and community sectors. This includes, but is not restricted to, public and private limited companies (Ltd and plc), sole traders, farmers, local authorities, hospitals, universities, schools, housing associations, charities etc. No householders.
There will be a variable rate of up to 40% of the difference in cost of installing the biomass boiler or CHP plant compared to installing the fossil fuel alternative. This is subject to a maximum single award of £100,000 per installation. Applications covering several installations can apply for up to £100,000 for each installation. There is no minimum award threshold.
DEFRA - Environmental Transformation Fund
The Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) is a new initiative to bring forward the development of new low carbon energy and energy efficiency technologies in the UK. The fund will formally begin operation in April 2008, and will be jointly administered by Defra and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
The domestic element of the Fund aims to accelerate the commercialisation of low carbon energy and energy efficiency technologies in the UK. In doing so, it will help reduce the carbon intensity of energy production as well as reduce energy demand. The fund will therefore contribute towards the UK's climate change and renewable energy goals for 2020 and beyond.
The fund will specifically focus on the demonstration and deployment phases of bringing low carbon technologies to market. It will work closely with other organisations funding earlier stage research and development including the Energy Technologies Institute, Technology Strategy Board, and the Research Councils' Energy Programme.
BERR HFC/CAT Demonstration Programme
The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell (H, FC) and Carbon Abatement Technologies (CAT) Demonstration Scheme is designed to address two of the Government's key energy priorities set out in the Energy White Paper: cost competitive carbon emissions reductions, and increased security of supply. The Government is committed to increasing the deployment of renewable energy in the UK , but it is inevitable that fossil fuels will continue to be used for many years to come, both here and abroad, with the rapidly growing energy demand of the developing countries representing a significant pressure.
Rural
Small businesses and social enterprises in deprived areas or working with hard to reach groups that are unable to access high street backing will be able to grow because of a new long-term financial scheme that offers loans to enterprises across the East of England.
The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is investing £750,000 in a new region-wide loan scheme available to businesses and social enterprises with viable business propositions that wouldn't normally be able to get funding from banks. EEDA has awarded the contract to deliver the service to Foundation East, a community development finance institution (CDFI).
Natural England - energy crops
The Energy Crops Scheme offers grants to farmers in England for the establishment of miscanthus and short rotation coppice. It is part of the Rural Development Programme for England.
The Energy Crops Scheme (ECS) is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). It will be jointly funded by the European Union, through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the United Kingdom Government.
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDP)
The Rural Development Programme is jointly funded by the EU, through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the Government. In England, DEFRA will also make use of Voluntary Modulation.
The RDPE 2007-2013 has a budget of £3.9 billion. This is more than double the budget available for the previous programme which ran from 2000-2006. £3.3 billion of the total budget will be allocated to agri-environment and other land management schemes. This funding will help farmers to manage the land more sustainably and deliver important outcomes on biodiversity, landscape and access, water quality and climate change. Some £600 million will be made available to make agriculture and forestry more competitive and sustainable and to enhance opportunity in rural areas.
Communities
Many carbon saving actions are low-cost or free, and Cut your Carbon is largely about taking those actions. However, beyond these actions funding is often needed to deliver larger projects that will make a big impact on carbon emissions.
EEDA wants to help make your bright ideas happen, so the organisation is offering £2.5 million for community projects through a series of funding rounds taking place over the next three years (to 2011).
CAfE is a network of people who share a common interest in community energy projects and ideas. Membership of the network is free and by joining you can keep up to date with news on community-based energy initiatives, as well as hearing about funding opportunities, training sessions and other news from the network.
The Community Sustainable Energy Programme
CSEP is an open grants programme run by BRE (Building Research Establishment) as an award partner of the Big Lottery Fund. BRE carries out research, consultancy, training and testing to help create better buildings and communities.
The Community Sustainable Energy Programme will provide £8 million to community-based organisations for the installation of microgeneration technologies, such as solar panels or wind turbines and energy efficiency measures including loft and cavity wall insulation. It will also provide £1 million for project development grants that will help community organisations establish if a microgeneration and energy efficiency installation will work for them.
Energy Supply Companies
Scottish Power Green Energy Trust
The Scottish Power Green Energy Trust supports small scale community based environmental and educational renewable energy projects. They generally require that projects meet both these criteria.
As well as the provision of information and advice on this website, the SOURCE Fund also offers grants of up to £30,000 to community groups and not for profit organisations who wish to consider and implement sustainable energy projects in their buildings - from energy efficiency through to micro-generation.
Other
The Technology Strategy Board is all about driving innovation. Their role is to stimulate technology-enabled innovation in the areas which offer the greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity. They promote, support and invest in technology research, development and commercialisation. They spread knowledge, bringing people together to solve problems or make new advances.
The Board advises Government on how to remove barriers to innovation and accelerate the exploitation of new technologies working in areas where there is a clear potential business benefit, helping today's emerging technologies become the growth sectors of tomorrow. Key projects include technology transfer networks and research and development.
Research and development (R&D) helps companies improve profits and grow by creating new high value-added products, processes and services.
The R&D tax credits help companies to invest more in R&D either by reducing a company's tax bill or, for some small or medium sized companies (SMEs) not in profit, by providing a cash sum. The R&D tax credits are available to companies throughout the UK. Further enhancements to the credits were announced in the 2007 Budget.
R&D Tax Credits are the biggest single funding mechanism for business R&D provided by Government. Developed through consultation with business they are at the heart of the Government's strategy to raise levels of business R&D and encourage business innovation. The cost of support claimed increased from £0.4bn in 2002/03 to £0.5bn in 2003/04 and £0.6bn in both 2004/05 and 2005/06; more than 6,000 claims were received in both 2004/05 and 2005/06. In total, more than £2.3bn of support has been given to business R&D through R&D tax credits in the six years since their introduction in 2000.
EPSRC UK Research Councils Energy Programme
The UK Research Councils' Energy Programme brings together engineers and physical, natural, social and economic scientists not just to create the technologies but to examine their social and economic consequences. EPSRC is taking the lead on energy research on behalf of all the UK Research Councils.
List of Current calls for funding
- EU - Intelligent Energy Programme
The Intelligent Energy - Europe programme is the EU's tool for funding action to improve these conditions and move us towards a more energy intelligent Europe. - BERR Knowledge Transfer Networks
The objective of a Knowledge Transfer Network is to improve the UK's innovation performance by increasing the breadth and depth of the knowledge transfer of technology into UK-based businesses and by accelerating the rate at which this process occurs. The Network must, throughout its lifetime, actively contribute and remain aligned to the development of a national Technology Strategy. - See web site for list of Network Communities
- EU Eureka
EUREKA is a pan-European network for market-oriented, industrial R&D. Created as an intergovernmental Initiative in 1985, EUREKA aims to enhance European competitiveness through its support to businesses, research centres and universities who carry out pan-European projects to develop innovative products, processes and services.