Monday, February 28, 2011

FIT doubts; UK solar installations to fall below 250MW

The UK is unlikely to install even 250MW of solar projects this year, due to unclear planning for renewable energy feed-in tariffs (FIT), according to a source within the industry.

While Germany has installed 17GW of solar capacity to date, using the tariff scheme to develop renewable power resources, the UK has installed just 40MW since introducing the tariff last April.

The UK solar tariff system is under review following Climate Change Secretary Greg Barker’s proposals to slash the FIT by ten per cent next year.
‘The German Federal Network Agency has imaginatively used FITs to develop their renewable power resources,’ said mo3 Power CEO Ken Moss.

The UK’s potential proposals to reduce the tariff mark an unwise departure from Germany’s regime, which the country used as a blueprint for its photovoltaic (PV) industry, according to Moss.
Although Germany proposed cutting the rate of its FIT by as much as 15 per cent, the Federal Network Agency last week set a tariff rate that will be responsive to the growth of PV in the country.
Germany’s tariff rate will increase by 2.5 per cent if PV installations do not meet a 2.5GW target in the next year, but will keep the rate at its current level if installations reach 3.5GW, only increasing further if installations exceed 4.5GW.

Moss said, ‘The UK government clearly adopted the success of German FITs as a blueprint for the PV industry in the Britain but they are now making decisions solely based on cost cutting. Britain needs a politically secure, safe renewable power industry.’

Source:http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/

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