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The historical focus of renewable energy policy in the UK, as in most nations, has been on supporting deployment in renewable energy sources of electricity. The adoption of ambitious EU wide targets for renewable energy has forced greater consideration of renewable energy sources of heat (RES-H). The UK pushed ahead rapidly in considering different policy options and legislating a new instrument, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to support RES-H, a form of tariff mechanism designed with the specifics of RES-H in mind, though translation into application has been slow. The evolutionary process which led to the current policy instrument is considered, along with the need to consider other elements to work with it. This represents a new and novel application of policy to an area where there are few examples of large-scale policies which go beyond direct capital subsidy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making electricity grids smarter is a challenging, long-term, and ambitious process. It consists of many possible transitions and involves many actors relevant to existing and potential functions of the grid. We applied a two round Policy Delphi process with a range of sectoral experts who discussed important drivers, barriers, benefits, risks and expected functions of smarter grids, to inform the development of smarter grids. Our analysis of these expert views indicates broad consensus of the necessity for smarter grids, particularly for economic and environmental reasons; yet stakeholders also associated a range of risks and barriers such as lack of investment, disengaged consumers, complexity and data privacy with measures to make the grid smarter. Different methods for implementing smarter grid functions were considered, all thought to be more likely in urban settings. Implications for policy and future research are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]