ClickGreen

The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that Government cuts to the Feed-in Tariff were unlawful.

The three Lords Justices of Appeal announced their reserved judgement this morning following a hearing 10 days ago.

Today’s decision is a damaging blow to Ministers and officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who must now introduce the contingency date of March 3 for the start of the 21p rate for solar PV and not the original December 12 deadline.

The court judgement also means customers who have had solar panels installed and are registered ahead of the new March 3 cut-off point will now receive the original 43p rate for 25 years.

Customers who register on or after March 3 will qualify for the current higher rate until April 1, when it will drop to 21p.

DECC was also ordered to pay the full costs of around £125,000 for the appeal hearing. In a Twitter message immediately after the ruling was handed down, Energy Minister Greg Barker, wrote: “Win, lose or draw today, important we move forward together, drive down costs + step up deployment.”

The original legal challenge was made by Solarcentury, Friends of the Earth and HomeSun, and the High Court ruled on 21 December that a Government proposal to cut payments for any solar scheme completed after 12 December 2011 – 11 days before an official consultation into the proposal had even closed – was unlawful. The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that Government cuts to the Feed-in Tariff were unlawful.

The three Lords Justices of Appeal announced their reserved judgement this morning following a hearing 10 days ago.

Today’s decision is a damaging blow to Ministers and officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who must now introduce the contingency date of March 3 for the start of the 21p rate for solar PV and not the original December 12 deadline.

The court judgement also means customers who have had solar panels installed and are registered ahead of the new March 3 cut-off point will now receive the original 43p rate for 25 years.

Customers who register on or after March 3 will qualify for the current higher rate until April 1, when it will drop to 21p.

DECC was also ordered to pay the full costs of around £125,000 for the appeal hearing. In a Twitter message immediately after the ruling was handed down, Energy Minister Greg Barker, wrote: “Win, lose or draw today, important we move forward together, drive down costs + step up deployment.”

The original legal challenge was made by Solarcentury, Friends of the Earth and HomeSun, and the High Court ruled on 21 December that a Government proposal to cut payments for any solar scheme completed after 12 December 2011 – 11 days before an official consultation into the proposal had even closed – was unlawful.

ClickGreen

The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that Government cuts to the Feed-in Tariff were unlawful.

The three Lords Justices of Appeal announced their reserved judgement this morning following a hearing 10 days ago.

Today’s decision is a damaging blow to Ministers and officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who must now introduce the contingency date of March 3 for the start of the 21p rate for solar PV and not the original December 12 deadline.

The court judgement also means customers who have had solar panels installed and are registered ahead of the new March 3 cut-off point will now receive the original 43p rate for 25 years.

Customers who register on or after March 3 will qualify for the current higher rate until April 1, when it will drop to 21p.

DECC was also ordered to pay the full costs of around £125,000 for the appeal hearing. In a Twitter message immediately after the ruling was handed down, Energy Minister Greg Barker, wrote: “Win, lose or draw today, important we move forward together, drive down costs + step up deployment.”

The original legal challenge was made by Solarcentury, Friends of the Earth and HomeSun, and the High Court ruled on 21 December that a Government proposal to cut payments for any solar scheme completed after 12 December 2011 – 11 days before an official consultation into the proposal had even closed – was unlawful. The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that Government cuts to the Feed-in Tariff were unlawful.

The three Lords Justices of Appeal announced their reserved judgement this morning following a hearing 10 days ago.

Today’s decision is a damaging blow to Ministers and officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who must now introduce the contingency date of March 3 for the start of the 21p rate for solar PV and not the original December 12 deadline.

The court judgement also means customers who have had solar panels installed and are registered ahead of the new March 3 cut-off point will now receive the original 43p rate for 25 years.

Customers who register on or after March 3 will qualify for the current higher rate until April 1, when it will drop to 21p.

DECC was also ordered to pay the full costs of around £125,000 for the appeal hearing. In a Twitter message immediately after the ruling was handed down, Energy Minister Greg Barker, wrote: “Win, lose or draw today, important we move forward together, drive down costs + step up deployment.”

The original legal challenge was made by Solarcentury, Friends of the Earth and HomeSun, and the High Court ruled on 21 December that a Government proposal to cut payments for any solar scheme completed after 12 December 2011 – 11 days before an official consultation into the proposal had even closed – was unlawful.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16288267

Planned government changes to subsidies on solar power may deal the industry a “fatal blow”, two parliamentary committees are warning.

The Environmental Audit Committee and Energy and Climate Change Committee say ministers are right to make changes, but are doing so “clumsily”.

Government plans include restricting access to solar subsidies to houses meeting energy efficiency standards.

Thousands of solar industry jobs could be at risk, the committees warn.

On Wednesday, a group of companies and environmental groups won a legal judgement against one of the changes.

Central to their campaign was the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (Decc) plan to halve abruptly the level of feed-in tariff (FiT) that small-scale solar installations attract, from 43p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 21p.