TWO firms in the North-East have received additional funding to develop a website for use by companies in the renewable energy sector.
Imass and Econnect have already researched and piloted the website, which allows companies planning to develop renewable energy projects to assess the costs of connecting to the UK electricity distribution network.
The firms received £450,000 of funding from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and energy industry regulator Ofgem to pilot the scheme in the North-East and South-East and have secured an additional £90,000 from the DTI to expand the service natiowide.
Dave Curry, project director of Tyneside computer company Imass, said the website will outline connection charges, costs and capacity for companies intending to supply renewable energy through the national grid.
"One issue companies that want to develop wind farms, for example, face is understanding how much it is going to cost to link the plant to the electric grid," he said.
The website, which is expected to go live next year, will provide, for a fee, up-to-date information and data about the grid and network operators across the UK, including CE Electric, in the North-East and North Yorkshire.
Econnect, in Hexham, Northumberland, provides an in-depth version of the data to companies looking to carry out renewable energy projects worldwide.
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