Proposed cuts to solar subsidies lead to legal action

Environmental group, Friends of the Earth, have threatened the Government with a lawsuit after plans were tabled to reduce subsidies for solar panel users. Alex Blackburne looks into it.

Earlier this month on Blue & Green Tomorrow, Good Energy’s Hugo House wrote how the Government’s controversial move to cut funding for the Feed-in Tariff scheme will affect the solar industry – a move which has been greeted with expected disdain by environmental groups.

One of these groups, Friends of the Earth, has taken steps to thwart the proposed cuts by threatening legal action if the proposals aren’t amended.

Craig Bennett, the group’s policy and campaigns manager, explained the reasoning behind the seemingly drastic steps.

“The Government is breaking the law with its plans to fast-track a solar industry kill-off – as well as jeopardising thousands of jobs and countless clean energy projects across the country,” he said.

“Significant time and money has been invested planning solar schemes for homes, schools and libraries – giving them just six weeks to install is completely unacceptable, and schemes have already been scrapped.”

Bennett went on to say that Government ministers will be forced to amend their plans and extend the deadline for solar tariff payments, or face a judicial review.

The Government had proposed that solar projects registered after December 12th this year will get a lower Feed-in Tariff rate than the current level, with many solar companies claiming the plans will cause widespread unemployment, with businesses not able to continue without support.

“The Government should be encouraging people and communities to generate their own clean electricity”, Bennett concluded, “not destroying a new industry in its infancy”.

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Picture source: Living Off Grid