The government has appealed to a High Court ruling that said its cut off date for the feed-in-tariff for solar electricity was illegal. A High Court judge ruled that the government’s proposal to halve the FIT’s for solar electricity from April 2012 for installations completed after December 12 last year was illegal because it pre-dated the end of the consultation on the plans on 23 December.
The Government then filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal and a decision on whether the government will be granted permission to appeal was said to be imminent. Leading figures in the solar industry have said that because existing clients pushed forward with installations to meet the 12 December deadline and new clients were waiting to see the outcome of the court case there is now a shortage of work. One director of a solar panel supplier said that several of his public sector clients were now reconsidering deals which could have been signed already in the hope of getting a greater level of return from the tariff.
Some contractors have continued downsizing their energy services division in fear that the government could still reduce the FIT’s by April even if its appeal is unsuccessful.
