The CBI has now added it’s voice to the growing criticism over the Government’s planned slashing of the feed-in tariffs. 

While the Government sticks to it’s line that by reducing the FIT from 43p per kilowatt-hour to 21p would ensure the longevity of the scheme, the CBI said the decision to halve “feed-in tariffs” earlier than planned would force companies to cancel planned work destroying projects and jobs

According to CBI director general, Jonathan Cridland: “Moving the goal posts doesn’t just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors and they wonder what’s coming next.”

“Some companies have invested heavily in solar photovoltaic systems and in the supply chains needed to install them.

“That commitment has been undermined by the feed-in tariff decision – and so industry trust and confidence in the government has evaporated. This bodes poorly for investment in future initiatives.”

DECC are under fire from all quarters ranging from business pressure groups, industry leaders and even facing legal challenges from Friends of the Earth over the reductions, however they insist the changes are necessary to protect the longer-term interests of the industry.

“If we left things as they are,” said one of their spokespeople, ”the feed-in tariff budget would be eaten up entirely, full stop, and that would be even worse for employees in this sector and those working on other technologies too.

“We believe solar photovoltaic can have a strong and vibrant future in UK and we are proposing changes to ensure a lasting feed-in tariffs scheme to support that future.”

The solar industry remains unconvinced so DECC will no doubt continue to face many challenges to the policy over the coming months.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 11th, 2011 at 9:11 am and is filed under Clean Energy Cash Back, Clean Energy Options, Climate Change. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.