The official Parliamentary record has released the names of the MPs who voted against a Labour motion to delay the December 12 deadline for a reduction in the Feed-in Tariff subsidy for solar PV.

The revolt in the House of Commons yesterday (November 23) over government proposals to slash Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) payments by more than half was welcomed by a leading renewable energy company. A significant number of Liberal Democrats including transport minister Norman Baker made it clear they opposed the coalition’s plans to cut the tariff for solar PV schemes up to 4kW from 43.3/kWh to 21p/kWh. The seriousness of the issue was compounded by the coalition’s announcement on October 31 that – subject to consultation – the cuts would come into effect from December 12. David Hunt, a director with Eco Environments said: “We are pleased that the coalition has witnessed the extent of the anger to its proposals to slash the Feed-in-Tariffs by more than half which will cause serious and lasting damage to the renewable energy sector. “While companies offering multiple technologies such as our own are strong enough to survive, the savagery of the proposed cuts will decimate large parts of our industry, leaving many thousands of people on the jobs scrapheap. “The government maintains that its announcement is intended to provide the solar industry with a clear and sustainable growth path, avoiding boom and bust, but its proposals will cause exactly that. “The renewable energy sector is one of the few growing sectors in the UK and global economy which makes the Government’s proposals even more mystifying.” Eco Environments has its head office in Liverpool and regional offices in Carlisle, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and North Wales. During the next few months, further offices will open in the south of England. Staff numbers will also rise to approximately 60 during the current financial year and turnover is expected to rise from £1.4million to £5million. 

Commenting on the solar industry’s lobby of Parliament today (Tuesday 22 November 2011) over government plans to cut solar payments – organised by Cut Don’t kill – Friends of the Earth’s executive director Andy Atkins said:  “Government plans to slash solar payments will pull the plug on thousands of jobs and cast an enormous shadow over an industry that is helping to kick-start a clean energy revolution.

Houghton Springs Fish Farm in Dorset has become the first fish farm in the country to invest in solar power. The 10kWp system installed by The Energy Conservation Group will make a major contribution to cutting the farms energy bills and will benefit from 25 years of guaranteed income from the Feed-in Tariff scheme.

Despite the government’s proposed halving of Feed-In Tariff (FiT) payments for solar installations, Leeds-based Oakapple Renewable Energy has confirmed that it is still forging ahead with its £100 million investment in the sector.

According to Ecovision, recent headline-grabbing changes to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) have left the consumer in the dark. It is now more critical than ever to restore consumer confidence and provide an accurate calculation of the financial benefits of installing solar PV.

Burnley firm Solarlec has launched a legal challenge against the government after it announced urgent plans to slash subsidies paid to consumers who generate their own renewable energy.

Wholesale electricity prices will rise by at least 40 per cent over the next ten years, according to a survey of leading industry figures. More than 90 per cent of those questioned in the survey to mark the 10th anniversary of independent generation consolidator SmartestEnergy said they believed prices in 2021 will be higher in real terms than in 2011. Fewer than one in ten respondents said they expected wholesale prices to be the same or lower.

Friends of the Earth is taking the government to court over its plans to slash financial incentives for households and communities that install solar electricity, the environmental campaigning charity confirmed today after Ministers failed to respond to concerns it set out in a legal letter last week.

As the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced a reduction in the Feed-in Tariff’ (FiT) last week (31 October 2011), Peter Searancke, managing director of Leicester-based Intelligent Energy Solutions, advises consumers that this is the right time to make the switch to solar energy, as the current subsidy is fixed for 25 years. The need to switch now is even more pertinent particularly with traditional energy suppliers predicting increases of up to 15 per cent as winter looms. Currently, homeowners who have had small scale solar panels installed receive a FiT subsidy of 43p per kWh but this is set to decrease to 21p per kWh, with effect from 12 December 2011. Whilst the reduction is not as dramatic as many industry experts had feared, some had predicted a drop as low as 9p per kWh, it is still likely to prompt a pre-Christmas ‘rush’ as households look to secure a premium price for the next quarter of a century. 

New research shows that over half of British companies in the solar industry will slash their workforce by over 50 per cent due to cuts to Feed-in Tariffs  announced by the UK government, which are to start in December 2011. Stephen Hill, partner at international law firm Eversheds comments: “Whilst a change in the tariff rate has been expected within the industry, the nature and speed in which it is proposed to be implemented has devastated the sector. The back dated nature of the procedure by which the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is pushing this through is unique and leaves the UK government highly exposed to a potential claim for judicial review by participants in the industry. The uncertain nature of the consultation will affect thousands of jobs in this nascent green industry and affects the government’s credibility for all renewable projects.”

A manufacturer and solar pioneer has spoken out about the government Feed-in Tariff cuts, just as the UK had put faith into sustainable opportunities from solar energy.

In response to the government’s sudden and unexpected decision to fast-track solar tariff cuts, many companies involved in the provision of solar PV systems are desperate to complete as many installations as possible to ensure customers receive the old tariff.