14 December 2011
  The solar industry has seen the number of solar PV installations skyrocket, following the deadline for submitting a Feed-in Tariff application to achieve the previously higher tariff rate.
Following the Government’s announcement of proposals to effectively halve the incentive payments available to those generating their own solar power, applicants rushed to complete new installations by midnight on 11th December – the deadline before the changes came into force.
Figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have shown that 66,910 systems were installed in the five weeks since the announcement of the cuts on the 31st October, compared to 23,522 installations in the five weeks leading up to the announcement.
The rush of applications even saw the Microgeneration Certificate Scheme website (where installations need to be registered for Feed-in Tariff applications) crash under the pressure of unusually high traffic.
Although the cuts won’t officially be confirmed until the consultation concludes on 23rd December, and the Government have considered responses (which is likely to be mid-January), the reductions are widely-expected to take effect, bringing a big blow to the solar industry.
The Government’s decision to drastically cut the tariffs has been attributed to the need for the scheme to be kept ‘within its £867m budget’.
If you are planning a solar PV installation and need advice, don’t forget our Renewable Energy experts are here to help! Call us now on 024 7669 6360.
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