The Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations 2011

Interpretation

2.  In these Regulations—

“accreditation” means accreditation of an eligible installation by the Authority following an application under regulation 22;

“accredited RHI installation” means an eligible installation which has been given accreditation;

“the Act” means the Energy Act 2008;

“anaerobic digestion” means the bacterial fermentation of biomass in the absence of oxygen;

“biogas production plant” means a plant which produces biogas by anaerobic digestion, gasification or pyrolysis;

“building” means any permanent or long-lasting building or structure of whatever kind and whether fixed or moveable which, except for doors and windows, is wholly enclosed on all sides with a roof or ceiling and walls;

“CHP” means combined heat and power;

“class 2 heat meter” means a heat meter which—

“coefficient of performance” means the ratio of the amount of heating or cooling in kilowatts provided by a heat pump to the kilowatts of power consumed by the heat pump;

“commissioned” means, in relation to an eligible installation, the completion of such procedures and tests as constitute, at the time they are undertaken, the usual industry standards and practices for commissioning that type of eligible installation in order to demonstrate that it is capable of operating and delivering heat to the premises or process for which it was installed;

“date of accreditation”, in relation to an accredited RHI installation, means the later of—

“date of registration”, in relation to a producer of biomethane for injection, means the first day falling on or after the date of receipt by the Authority of the application for registration on which the Authority is satisfied that the application was properly made;

“eligibility criteria” has the meaning given by regulation 4;

“eligible installation” means a plant which meets the eligibility criteria;

“eligible purpose” means a purpose specified in regulation 3(2);

“gasification” means the substoichiometric oxidation or steam reformation of a substance to produce a gaseous mixture containing two or all of the following: oxides of carbon, methane and hydrogen;

“gas transporter” means the holder of a licence granted under section 7 of the Gas Act 1986(1);

“heat meter” has the same meaning as that given in Annex MI-004 of the Measuring Instruments Directive;

“ineligible purpose” means a purpose which is not an eligible purpose;

“injection” means the introduction of gas into a pipe-line system operated by a gas transporter;

“installation capacity”, in relation to a plant, means the total installed peak heat output capacity of the plant;

“kWh” means kilowatt hours;

“kWhth” means kilowatt hours thermal;

“kWth” means kilowatt thermal;

“MCS” means the Microgeneration Certification Scheme(2) or an equivalent scheme accredited under EN 45011(3) which certifies microgeneration products and installers in accordance with consistent standards;

“Measuring Instruments Directive” means Directive 2004/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on measuring instruments(4);

“municipal waste” has the same meaning as in section 21 of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003(5);

“MWhth” means megawatt hours thermal;

“MWth” means megawatt thermal;

“ongoing obligations” means the obligations specified in Part 4;

“participant” means—

“periodic support payments” have the meaning given in regulation 3;

“pipe-line system” has the same meaning as in section 5(10) of the Gas Act 1986(6);

“process” means any process other than the generation of electricity;

“pyrolysis” means the thermal degradation of a substance in the absence of an oxidising agent (other than that which forms part of the substance itself) to produce char and one or both of gas and liquid;

“quarterly period” means, except where otherwise specified, the first, second, third or fourth quarter of any year commencing with, or with the anniversary of, a participant’s tariff start date;

“retail prices index” means—

“scheme” (except in this regulation) means the incentive scheme established by these Regulations;

“solar collector” means a liquid filled flat plate or evacuated tube solar collector;

“statement of eligibility” has the meaning given by regulation 22(6)(f);

“steam measuring equipment” means all the equipment needed to measure to the Authority’s satisfaction the mass flow rate and energy of steam, including at least the following components—

“tariff” means the payment rate per kWhth in respect of an accredited RHI installation and per kWh in respect of biomethane injection;

“tariff end date” means the last day of the tariff lifetime;

“tariff lifetime” means—

“tariff start date” means the date of accreditation of an eligible installation or, in relation to a producer of biomethane, the date of registration.