FITs vs ROCs - what's the difference?

Selling your renewable power is a breeze. We explain the ways you can make it work for your business.

You can sell with one of two schemes, devised by the Department of Energy & Climate Change. These tariffs let you sell your cleaner energy, and give you financial rewards for your contribution to cutting carbon emissions. You may be eligible for one or both of them.

Read about them below:

• Feed-In Tariffs (FITs)

• Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs)

   

Feed-In Tariffs (FITs)

FITs are for:

• Anaerobic digestion, hydro, solar and wind power sources, generating up to 5MW

How do they work?

If you’re selling small amounts of power, the FIT scheme is usually the most cost-effective way to go.

For every MWh you generate on a Feed-In Tariff, you get:

• a FIT subsidy of up to £413
• a unit price for any power you export to the national grid
• embedded benefits - because your energy goes to local consumers, you get more for bringing down transmission costs

On the FIT scheme, you can either fix your unit price on top of the subsidy, or get flexible prices based on the fluctuating energy market.

Technology	Scale	FIT subsidy (£/MWh)
Anaerobic digestion	>500kW - 2MW	£90
Hydro	500kW - 2MW	£110
Hydro	2 - 5MW	£45
Solar	500kW - 5MW	£293
Wind	500kW - 1.5MW	£94
Wind	1.5MW - 5MW	£45

How much subsidy do I get?

Your FIT subsidy depends on the amount and source of the energy you’re generating. 

This table shows the latest FIT subsidies per unit for generators producing 500kW - 5MW. More prices are available for smaller and micro generators.

Click here for the full list of FIT subsidies including small and micro generators.

Talk to us about FITs
If you'd like more information on selling cleaner power, contact us now
 

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Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs)

ROCs are for:

• Any type of renewable source producing over 50kW

How do they work?

If you produce large amounts of cleaner energy, the ROC scheme may be a more cost-effective option.

For every MWh you sell on the ROC scheme, you get:

• a ROC subsidy
• a unit price for any power you export to the national grid
• embedded benefits – because your energy goes to local consumers, you get more for bringing down transmission costs

On the ROC scheme, you can either fix the unit price on top of the subsidy, or get flexible prices based on the fluctuating energy market.

How much subsidy do I get?

A ROC’s value changes annually and, unlike FITs, isn’t affected by the size or the source of your generation. However, different sources earn different amounts of ROCs.

Whilst the ROC price is never guaranteed, you can find typical ROC values here.

Talk to us about ROCs
If you'd like more information on selling cleaner power, contact us now

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