Pulling plug on solar panels is a betrayal

THE news that the UK government has suddenly changed the goalposts on the matter of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) payable for green electricity generated from domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has left me incredulous. By reducing the tariffs by 50 per cent effective from 12 December, the burgeoning industry that has sprung up in the response to a deliberately stimulated demand has had the rug pulled from under it. Many of these businesses will now go under, thus losing many jobs.

Until now, it was clearly set out by the government that the tariffs would be gradually reduced from April next year, allowing the demand to adjust as the price of photovoltaic panels were predicted to come down. It was designed to be a carefully considered plan that would create an industry that would have long-term sustainability.

As the news struck, I was one of a group of 12 householders in the village where I live that was part-way through commissioning PVs. Like everyone in the group I believed it was the right thing to do in the fight to reduce our exceptionally high carbon footprint created by heating and lighting hard-to-heat stone cottages. It’s clear that it is essential to reduce such costs if older housing is to be sustainable and affordable to ordinary people. Most of us, as it happens, are retired or will be soon, and are anxious about the future. We felt it was a good investment for any savings we have, and with the FITs scheme as it was, to invest in something that would help with fuel costs – at the same time as helping in the fight to save the planet for future generations.

For people in the lucky position to join the now unseemly rush to get the panels installed by 12 December, this is still possible. However, for those who most need help with fuel costs and who would require a loan to do this, this is no longer possible. It takes time to secure a “green” loan and by the time this is possible, the halved tariffs mean it would take up to 20 years to pay back capital costs. Most of us do not have that much time to play with.

For those who are concerned about the economy, job creation and the environment, it is hard to see the logic of this move. I’d like to know how this blow to the micro-renewable industry will affect the Scottish Government’s plans to move over to renewable energy. To me, and to most ordinary people, this feels like a bungled, missed opportunity, and as an environmentalist, my frustration is immense.

Ettie Spencer, Dunbar