Whilst reactions from both government and renewable energy companies have been varied, Mike Stephenson director of Dorset-based H2 Eco, believes that possible changes to the Renewables Obligation are justified.
“The recent government announcement of a review on the level of Solar Farm subsidies is, in our opinion the correct thing to do,” he said.
“The country has a finite amount of money to allocate in support of any form of energy generation. Pragmatically we then need to look at where that funding goes in the renewables sectors.
“Solar Farms certainly have a place in the energy mix and the ecological benefits of them are starting to become apparent as they act like mini wildlife reserves. However, the cost of the subsidies may be becoming too high and over-generous resulting in an over expansion at the expense of rooftop installations.
“Solar Farms are mainly installed as standalone generating businesses – They produce no spinoff benefits to more diverse business operations unlike roof mounted installations as local businesses will still have to pay full price for the electricity they generate. Roof mounted installations are better in many ways as the power is largely consumed where it is produced. This is best for the environment and helps the companies that invest into those technologies to be competitive in their core business activities by having lower energy costs.”