Government loses appeal over Solar Tariff fiasco

The government has lost it's Court of Appeal case surrounding a decision which blocked its attempts to reduce solar subsidies, which were originally supposed to be paid until April 2012.

The government had moved to more than halve the 43p per KWH payment made to households with solar panels, which it maintains are unsustainable.

The new 21p per KWH rate was due to take effect on systems installed after 12th December 2011, However, the government has said it will seek leave to take the case to the UK's Supreme Court.

The rulings will not affect households that have installed panels before the changes on 12 December, however those who installed after that date will now have an agonising wait for the supreme court ruling, to see if they qualify for 43p rate. The government's revised deadline of 3rd March 2012 just confuses the issue further and has left Householders, Solar panel manufacturers and installers in limbo, unsure of how best to proceed.

Solar businesses and campaigners have also warned that thousands of jobs could be lost as a result of the proposed tariff cut.

"We want to maximise the number of installations that are possible within the available budget rather than use available money to pay a higher tariff to halve the number of installations," said Energy and Climate Change secretary Chris Huhne.

Employers' group the CBI said the government should abandon its legal battle.

"The judgement should be used to draw a line under this saga, which saw the government scoring a spectacular own goal and confidence in the renewables sector undermined," said director general John Cridland.


The High Court ruled that changing the tariffs in this way was "legally flawed", a decision the Court of Appeal has now upheld.

The change had particularly upset industry, as it affected projects which may already have been commissioned, but not installed.

"This decision has very important implications for the whole renewable energy sector in the UK," said Ben Warren, a partner at Ernst and Young.

The government claims paying the higher rate between December and March would cost the scheme £1.5bn over 25 years.

The tariff for surplus electricity exported to the national grid remains 3.1p per kilowatt-hour paid in addition to the tariff, and is unaffected by the changes.

Money shortage
There is also uncertainty about the sustainability of the reduced rate - as a rush of installations now may use up the scheme's remaining budget.

"The future of the feed in tariff beyond April 2012 is now hugely uncertain. Government and industry now need to work together to create a sustainable solar industry in the UK," added Mr Warren.

The Renewable Energy Association has called for the overall budget to be increased.

"The government's action and the subsequent court case had together thrown the solar industry into a state of extreme uncertainty," said chief executive Gaynor Hartnell.

"We now want to put this behind us as swiftly as possible, and work with government and supporters to secure a larger budget for small-scale renewable energy generation," she added.

Solar Boom & Bust to be avoided - DECC

On the 31st October 2011 the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have acted, in their own words, to prevent boom and bust in the Solar industry.

"The proposals, subject to consultation, would introduce a new tariff for schemes up to 4kW in size of 21p/kWh – down from the current 43.3p/kWh. Reduced rates are also proposed for schemes between 4kW and 250kW, to ensure those schemes receive a consistent rate of return".

In addition, as from April 2012, homeowners will need to certify that their property reaches a certain level of (as yet unspecified) energy efficiency. This could include the energy performance certificate level C or taking up all the measures necessary for the Green Finance Deal.

So,  where does that leave us? Well, as things stand this is a consultation process and nothing has been finalised.....ok, we still have time to change things .....well No! actually, because the changes come into effect before the end of the consultation process, which is on the 23/12/2011, with the commissioned PV system needing to be installed and having its request for accreditation received by a FIT licensee prior to 11th December 2011.

Realistically, with the 11th December being a Sunday, then the latest a request for accreditation could be sent would be Thursday 8th December 2011.

Without wishing to rush you............ Contact us for a deadline busting installation now!

www.solar-power-north-west.co.uk

  

The momentum builds!

For as long as I can remember (and being nearly as old as Adam that's long!), people have been discussing the finite & delicate nature of our planet's resources. There never really seems to have been any genuine momentum, but is that changing now?

Whilst I look out of my window and still see people whizzing by in fossil fueled cars, my TV reports on another famine in Africa or some other distant part of the globe, and I still ache to help, and still feel as powerless as I did as a child. Power stations still burn coal, or do some scary magic with Nuclear pluto-unobtanium rods!

So, since my childhood in the sixties and seventies what's new? The cars look slicker, more modern, break down less, and are more efficient (although, thankfully, they don't look like the psuedo-rocket cars my imagination forecast aged seven!) we even see the occasional hybrid petrol-electric or the even rarer electric only car. Live Aid came along and Sir Bob and Midge helped us all to at least FEEL like we had helped a little. The TV I watch the news on is the one thing that looks most radically like what was envisaged for the future in the seventies. Wind farms have become a more common sight across the countryside, and coastline, but is momentum gathering?

A worldwide downturn in economic prosperity, it seems, has turned our thoughts towards saving resources. We are all looking to save money where possible, and energy costs being a principal household expenditure, it needs to be minimised.  A lot can be achieved by an adjustment to the way we go about our daily routines, you've heard it all before of course: turning lights off when not needed, not leaving TV, digi box, computer on standby. A well insulated home helps, it all does, saving a little here and there adds up in the long run. But how about a real change in speed, engaging second gear and feeling the momentum push us toward a less fossil dependant future.

Solar 'feed-in'tariff' have arrived, set up by the UK government and administered by your energy company, generating your own electricity now earns you a rebate, and the returns are not to be sniffed at, more information is available by following the link below.

www.solar-power-north-west.co.uk

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Thanks for taking the time to view our blog, here we will be bringing you the latest news,views and opinions about all things green (energy related that is, no grass please!), renewable & sustainable energy sources.