Solar Feed In Tariff Website

Friends of the Earth is urging Ministers to focus on putting the solar industry back on a stable footing after Energy Minister Greg Barker confirmed via Twitter today (Tuesday 3 January 2012) that the Government has decided to try to appeal a ruling that its solar cuts are illegal – at a potentially huge cost to taxpayers.

The green campaigning charity said the Government must introduce a clear plan to reduce solar power payments in line with falling installation costs, rather than prolonging industry uncertainty and jeopardising jobs by pursuing an expensive legal appeal.

Following a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth and two solar firms Solarcentury and HomeSun just before Christmas, the High Court ruled that the Government’s plans to rush through sudden cuts to solar payments – before its own consultation had ended – were illegal.

The court refused permission for an appeal on the basis that the Government has no realistic prospect of winning. The deadline for lodging an appeal is 4pm tomorrow, 4 January 2012.

Friends of the Earth is also calling on Ministers to reduce tariff rates in a planned way from February 2012 to protect jobs, and to increase the overall budget for the feed-in tariff to allow more people – including poorer households and community groups – to benefit from solar power.  The group says this is possible without any additional cost to bill payers because of the increased tax revenue the scheme is generating.

Friends of the Earth’s Head of Campaigns Andrew Pendleton said:

“The Government’s illegal cuts to solar tariff rates have near-crippled an industry and threatened thousands of jobs.

“Trying to appeal the High Court’s ruling is an expensive waste of taxpayers’ money – the court says the Government has no realistic chance of winning, and it will prolong uncertainty among solar companies just when they need reassurance.

“Ministers should accept the High Court’s decision and end business uncertainty and protect jobs with a clear plan to reduce payments from February, in line with falling installation costs.

“The Government must expand the scheme overall – with all the tax revenue the scheme generates, this can be done at no extra cost to bill payers.”

Tags: feed in tariff, Friends of the Earth, government appeal, Greg Barker, solar feed in, solar power, solar ruling

Government plans to rush through cuts to solar tariff payments are illegal, the High Court ruled today (Wednesday 21 December), following a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth and two solar firms – Solarcentury and HomeSun.

The court agreed that proposals to cut feed-in tariff payments for any solar scheme completed after 12 December – 11 days before the official consultation closed – were unlawful.

Friends of the Earth is urging the Government to come up with a new proposal which would allow solar payments to fall in line with reduced installation costs, while ensuring the solar industry continues to play a key part in developing a cleaner future.

The environmental campaigning charity is also calling for more money to encourage solar installations – paid for by the revenue the industry raises for the Treasury, the removal of planned restrictions that would prevent poorer households from installing solar panels and more support for community-owned schemes.

The Government’s own independent advisors say the economy must be weaned off of increasingly expensive fossil fuels like gas by investing in clean energy and slashing energy waste. Friends of the Earth’s Final Demand campaign is urging the Government to launch an investigation into the role of the Big Six energy firms in stopping people in Britain having energy we can all afford.

Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said:

“These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs.

“We hope this ruling will prevent Ministers rushing through damaging changes to clean energy subsidies – giving solar firms a much-needed confidence boost.

“Ministers must now come up with a sensible plan that protects the UK’s solar industry and allows cash-strapped homes and businesses to free themselves from expensive fossil fuels by plugging into clean energy.”

“Solar payments should fall in line with falling installation costs but the speed of the Government’s proposals threatened to devastate the entire industry.”

Tags: cuts to feed in tariff, DECC, december 12, FIT, Friends of the Earth, Greg Barker, high court, solar, solar energy