Solar legal claim could rise above £100m

According to sources, the legal action against the government from solar firms claiming lost earnings caused by illegal changes to the solar electricity feed-in tariff could exceed £100m mark. Solar firms claim they lost millions of pounds worth of business after the government announced in October 2011 that it would cut the feed-in tariff (FIT) […]

Government downgrades forecast for solar industry

Following changes to the cost control mechanisms for the solar power feed-in tariff (FIT), the government has cut its forecast for the capacity of solar electricity panels by almost half. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) publicised that it would cut solar subsidies by almost 25% from August followed by further cuts every three […]

Confusion over deadline for FITs cuts

Solar installation has been a surprising success for the UK. The government has helped this growing industry through the payment of feed-in-tariffs (FITs), a subsidy allowing investors in small-scale renewables to sell units of the electricity produced to a supplier of their choice. Introduced in April 2010 by the previous Labour administration, the tariff was […]

Solar Industry in ambiguity over feed-in-tariff legal battle

The solar industry is still debating whether the pursuit of a legal battle over government plans to reduce solar electricity tariffs is worth the ambiguity it’s causing the industry. Many solar businesses have complained about the uncertainty caused by the appeal by Friends of the Earth and solar companies who have complained against the government’s […]

Solar industry in limbo after government appeals to High Court judge over FIT’s

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 […]

Coalition governement discouraging investment in green construction

The construction industry is becoming increasingly impatient with the lack of growth and public investment for green construction under current government policies.  Think tank Edge criticised the government’s financial approach  and wrote to chancellor George Osborne ”Recent announcements have not only directly damaged businesses gearing up to deliver a low carbon built environment, but critically […]