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2
Nov

Solar Panels and SunlightThe Deptartment of Energy and Climate Change subsidies for Renewable Energy have been very successful, the majority of the Feed-In tariff support going to Solar Energy Schemes, almost too successful perhaps.

Ahead of the review on Thursday, we’d like to state our case for SMEs & Mid-market size projects to continue to have the ongoing support for renewable Energy Projects.

What’s wrong with carrying on the scheme we’re paying for it anyway (funded from the CCL that most households and businesses pay)? Don’t lose your nerve now Greg Barker (Climate Change Minister).

It’s a familiar and fairly obvious story for most right-minded thinkers; generally the UK continues to use energy which ultimately is fossil-fuelled, an increasingly scarce resource, with increasing costs (financially and geo-politically). Renewable has to be the way forward.

But and it’s a big but, the principles espoused by George Osbourne on a macroscopic basis, are it has to be economically viable for businesses to take up, whilst we have Greg Barker softening us up for significant cuts in the existing subsidies.

Whilst there is a strong case for reducing the Domestic proposition; where else will you get investment returns of 8 or 9%?

Ultimately business is a fundamental energy consumer generating real value for the UK economic community. There is already downward financial pressures with FIT subsidies having already been reduced for commercial solar projects [the bulk of FIT scheme take-up] to as low as 8.5p/ kWh for greater than 250 kW installations.

Ultimately the commercial schemes are likely to bring the most significant improvements with overall lower costs per kWh.

So hopefully some sense of balance will prevail. By all means reduce the domestic subsidies by 50%, but also ensure that commercial Enterprises are not penalised unfairly. If it does indeed continue to be successful, why not increase CCL on business energy costs to pay for development projects and those who do take the plunge will benefit?

Category : Administration / Alternatives / Efficiency / Electricity Prices / Energy Production / Going Green / Legislation