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The Department for Energy and Climate Change will go ahead with an appeal to the Supreme Court over plans to cut subsidies for solar photovoltaics.
Alongside an announcement of wide-ranging changes to the scheme in future the Department said it “cannot give certainty on tariff levels to people who install solar panels with an eligibility date between 12 December 2011 and 3 March 2012 due to ongoing legal proceedings.” However, Decc noted that it has until 21 February to lodge its appeal.
The changed scheme will see tariffs fall, and introduce further reductions where a PV owner has more than one installation.
However Decc has softened proposals that would only allow domestic properties with a good energy rating to be eligible. Properties in band D and above will now be eligible.
The government said plans to change the scheme would make it “more predictable” and add “transparency, longevity and certainty”. It included plans to peg future tariff reductions to industry growth and lower installation costs.
Announcing the new changes, climate change minister Greg Barker said:
“Our new plans will see almost two and a half times more installations than originally projected by 2015 which is good news for the sustainable growth of the industry. We are proposing a more predictable and transparent scheme as the costs of technologies fall, ensuring a long term, predictable rate of return that will closely track changes in prices and deployment.”
Among the changes:
The tariff reduction to 21p/kWh remains in effect from 1 April this year for domestic-size solar panels with an eligibility date on or after 3 March 2012. Other tariff reductions apply for larger installations.
Properties installing solar panels on or after 1 April this year will be required to produce an Energy Performance Certificate rating of ‘D’ or above to qualify for a full FIT
From 1 April 2012, new ‘multi-installation’ tariff rates set at 80% of the standard tariffs will be introduced for solar PV installations where a single individual or organisation is already receiving FITs for other solar PV installations.
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