The Renewables Obligation (RO) supports renewable generation above 5MW (and some projects between 50kW and 5MW). It provides an incentive not in the form of a fixed tariff, like the FITs, but by awarding green certificates called Renewable Obligations Certificates or ‘ROCs’.

When the RO was first introduced, all technologies received one ROC for every MWh of electricity delivered. The RO has subsequently been ‘banded’ with some renewable technologies, such as solar PV receiving 2 ROCs per MWh. Some (like offshore wind) get 1.5 ROCs; others still get 1 ROC; while others get less than 1 ROC.

The banding review is reassessing how many ROCs should be awarded to each technology band under the RO.