European Commission questions impact of Government's decision to halve funding

[confounded]

UK faces threat of legal action over solar subsidy - Business News - Business - The Independent

The European Commission is threatening to take the Government to court over its controversial decision to cut solar-power subsidies by half.

The commission became the latest party to question the move publicly yesterday, revealing that it had contacted the Government as it investigates the impact of the cut.


Günther Oettinger, the EU Energy Commissioner, said: "Whenever member states revise their support for support schemes for renewable energy, they need to do so in a manner which does not destabilise the renewable-energy industry or risk undermining their plans to achieve their 2020 targets."

 

[supasparxs]

UK faces threat of legal action over solar subsidy - Business News - Business - The Independent

It would appear that there is a future for PV in this country

 

[The Solar King]

Unfortunately the 2020 target is so pathetic at 2.68GW or about 330mw a year, the Government can easily say it will not affect the target. I have posted more info in the thread on the number of installs.

If you download the document from the EU I have listed there, you will get a good perspective on this. The only way forward is for that target to be vastly increased. It should be higher than that for wind which is 33GW. When you realise that PV at a larger scale could be cheaper than off shore wind within a couple of years and cheaper than on shore wind within the decade you ask what is going on here?

Wind makes money for big business whilst PV typically makes savings for families.

 

[MorganPVI]

Wind makes money for big business whilst PV typically makes savings for families.

This has become more obvious since the end of Oct, add Greogorys statement in parliament where he admitted people (lobbyists??) had be privately telling him PV was too generous and it looks a like a murky decision from a business friendly government.

 

[solarsavings]

This has become more obvious since the end of Oct, add Greogorys statement in parliament where he admitted people (lobbyists??) had be privately telling him PV was too generous and it looks a like a murky decision from a BIG business friendly government.

I've corrected that for you ;-)

 

[The Solar King]

Incidentally, I also think wind is brilliant. My comments are not a down on the technology, but on the policy making.

Also have a look at the exciting work going on at Nottingham University on compressed air energy storage. This could take renewables a step nearer to supplying base load energy. How about spending a billion on this rather than carbon capture and storage. Far better to fill old mines with compressed air than captured carbon.