Crowdfunding and renewables: is power for the people by the people about to come of age?
Hepburn Wind When two wind turbines started spinning on Harlock Hill in Cumbria in the winter of 1997, it was a pioneering moment – for the UK at least. Our first renewable energy co-operative had just proven it was possible to harness hundreds of local people to raise the investment needed to turn such a project into reality. They were motivated by the desire to take action to help our environment whilst making a decent return in the process. Seven... Read More
Why investing in renewables can fix our balance of trade deficit
One of the problems our economy faces is our relative balance of trade with the rest of the world. In Victorian times, the UK produced more than 60 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and its goods (and what were then regarded as plentiful fossil fuels such as Welsh coal) were exported all over the world. In the 21st century, faced with the need for home grown growth to overcome global economic stagnation and crisis, the UK is well... Read More
RHI and FiTs: the unintended consequences of penalising green energy ‘early adopters’
Eco householders can't sell their green energy back to the grid Anyone who was brave enough (or stupid enough) to invest in on-site renewable technologies before July 15 2009 will not have forgotten the disappointment and sense of injustice when they discovered they were going to be ‘penalised’ for their efforts under the Feed-in Tariff (FiT), the Government’s mechanism for incentivising small-scale renewable electricity. Due to the cost... Read More
The solar Feed-in Tariff still offers a good rate of return – so why have installations dried up?
Since the beginning of April solar PV installations have fallen off a cliff. The only time they have been lower over the past 15 months was after the Christmas 2011 Feed-in Tariff deadline. In this time, five companies have resigned their YouGen membership – two going into liquidation, one ceased trading, one changing direction. Others find that the phone isn’t ringing. One company I spoke to this week said they’d had no enquiries... Read More
Government loses Feed-in Tariff appeal, but what next?
While the Government failed to overturn last month’s ruling that its rushed cuts to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) for solar PV are unlawful last week, the uncertainty over FiT rates still exists. As soon as the unanimous verdict was announced in the Court of Appeal, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne announced that his department would seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. What does this mean? As a result,... Read More
What’s the Feed-in Tariff saga costing and whose going to pay the ultimate price?
So, the saga over the solar Feed-in Tariff (FiT) cuts looks set to continue; a defiant Chris Huhne has said he intends to seek to appeal to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land – despite four Judges telling him that what he plans to do is unlawful. Many from across the business community – not just the solar industry – are urging him to draw a line under the FiT fiasco and move one. There are dire warnings that a second appeal will... Read More
2011: the year of solar…or its demise?
Photo credit: solarcentury.co.uk 2011 will remembered for many tumultuous events, but for those of us reporting on the UK green business sector, there’s one that stands out amongst all the others by a long shot. The rise of solar and the shock decision by the Government to slash the subsidy, which has allowed an industry to grow so rapidly on the back of it, has dwarfed all other developments this year. Not even the drama of a last minute deal... Read More
The Feed-in Tariff and life after 43p
What a month it has been! With the global PV price falling over the last few years, we all knew that time would be called on 12 per cent rates of return and a 20p(ish) Feed In-Tariff was around the corner. But, the way it has been done…Well, if you wanted to kill an important, but still fledgling industry, announcing a seismic change in its financial basis with six weeks notice is probably the way to do it. But this, in itself, gives me faith... Read More
Solar FiT: why kneejerk policy needs to be replaced by a green growth strategy
This week’s unemployment figures and the Bank of England’s downgrade of its growth forecast for 2012 don’t make good reading for a Government that is trying to convince the country’s it’s got a growth strategy. One bright spot in the economy is the low carbon good and services sector. It grew a healthy 4.7 per cent last year. But instead of supporting it, the Coalition appears to be undermining it with a schizophrenic green policy,... Read More
Feed-in Tariff cut: where does it leave us?
We’ve all known for some time that the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) is going to be cut. This is in response to the rising demand from customers for solar over the last 18 months, which has put pressure on the budget, which the Government set aside for the FiT. As an installer of this technology, both for people who are able to pay outright for the systems and also for those wanting ‘free solar’, we are unhappy with how quickly the cut is coming into... Read More
Recent Comments