100 signatures reached
To: DECC
Petition DECC to urgently review the current approach to the solar feed in tariff
Today (27/08/15) DECC announced a proposed cut of the Solar Feed In Tariff by 87% by January 2016. A variety of recent cuts by government to support solar and renewable energy will cause a loss of affordable clean energy choices, taking away power from people and handing it back to big energy firms.
Why is this important?
Jobs at risk
The cost of solar panels since 2007 has fallen by over 70%. It is now the cheapest of all renewable technologies. This week, India announced the creation of 50 solar cities. Solar around the world is booming. In a few years, it won't need any support at all.
But the UK Government seems to want to do everything it can to kill solar before we get to that point – and risk tens of thousands of jobs in the process.
This is not the first time the Government has tried to kill the feed-in tariff, the scheme that pays people to feed clean electricity into the national grid from their solar panels.
Back in 2011 Government tried to kill off 90% of the scheme with retrospective cuts. Friends of the Earth, together with the solar industry, took the Government to court - and won. Ministers were forced to backtrack.
But once more, 35,000 jobs in the solar industry are on the line.
(Quote from Friends of the Earth and image credit to intel free press)
