The Big Solar Backtrack

An urgent message from the UK solar industry. Tens of thousands of jobs are at risk within the next few weeks.
Act Now: www.oursolarfuture.org.uk In 2007 David Cameron pledged his support for feed-in tariffs for renewable energy. On the 31st October 2011 his government slashed feed-in tariffs by 50%. This move threatens 4,000 businesses and tens of thousands of solar jobs in the UK. Greenest government ever? We ask David Cameron to 'Cut, don't kill solar', support our solar future at www.oursolarfuture.org.uk

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• renewables
• feed-in
• tariff
• clean
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• Solar Energy
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• The Big Solar Backtrack
• Our Solar Future
• feed-in tariffs

[1Nyro]

@ChuffChuffWoo

Chuff, I'm going to send you a message.

[ChuffChuffWoo]

I was part of a ground breaking team to deliver around 1,000 million watts of clean green solar power to the British National Grid, but then the large scale solar feed in tarriff was scrapped to save about 1% of what we spend on the NHS, about the same amount of money that is currently being spent on refurbishing Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, so with no job security in the solar industry, I'm now driving a taxi for a living - tragic.

[MrDelusionalPenguin]

Why did i get directed here after clicking on a retrotube vid?

[motaccam]

very interesting. Great food for thought.

[Tidalski]

As I write, coincidentally the United Nations has just announced another massive increase in CO2 emissions! "World leaders are set to have more talks about climate change at the end of this month". Ho hum.

Possibly more relevantly, I have just invoiced a 4kW system - VAT at 5% £700 - straight to the treasury and a team of 9 people all in work undertaking the various tasks it takes to get every panel up on the customer's roof - and that doesn't include the suppliers and the import channel!.

[Gunners32349]

I should have mentioned trhat we only know the costs to July 11 - the Gvt hasn't published the most recent quarter figure yet. 

[Gunners32349]

@bobdvd "the older subsidy was expensive". Not really. The total cost of the entire feed-in tariff scheme from April 2010-July 2011 was £21m, of which 35% is the household levy share. Contrast that with the £2.5 billion per year being spent on our nuclear liabilities.

[bobdvd]

@bobdvd continued... Solar needs to pay its own way, the older subsidy was expensive and remember that the money doesn't come from government grants, it comes from other energy customers, so we need to remember it is a cost. Solar energy needs to produce at an economically sustainable rate. There are no excuses about economies of scale anymore because recent reports have shown that there is oversupply in the global market causing profitability issues for manufacturers.

[bobdvd]

i feel sympathy for those whose jobs are at risk. however i do think they subsidy was artificially high. Solar energy needs to pay its own

[AlbanThurston]

Genius video, Tim Mustill ! (Keep watching, tho', after Dave's words end !). Parrotting other people's words..? Tragic that PM Dave & Greg Barker are delivering the wishes of foreign-owned Big Six energy companies, by slashing help for a UK growth industry, home-made green electricity. Social tenants face fuel poverty, schools lose green energy from roofs. But that's OK, 'cos PM Dave & a couple of ministers have solar on THEIR roofs already ! Rally at House of Commons, Tue 22 Nov at 2:30