The consultation, launched by the Department of Energy Climate and Change (DECC) last Friday, proposes cutting support for solar under the RO from 2 ROCS to 1.5. The STA says that the RO has only just become financially viable this year due to reduced costs in large scale solar with around 500MW projected to be installed this year under the scheme. Much of the 500MW will be in the sub 5MW category which DECC has suggested removing altogether.
STA ceo Paul Barwell said: “We have delivered really exceptional cost reductions in the solar industry, yet we once again face having the rug pulled from under us. The proposed 25 percent cut is too big and too soon. This is not a fair proposal and it is not in the public interest to constrain a cost-effective technology.”
The STA also say they are dismayed to see low deployment projections using out of date information in the consultation.
Barwell added: “We’re perplexed as to why these old projections have been repeated in this consultation. Projections of a few megawatts, rather than gigawatts of solar obviously are not consistent with the hard-won ambitions for solar that DECC ministers have clearly articulated.”