Save Energy Joins Solar Industry at House of Commons
Save Energy Joined the Solar Photovoltaic Industry at the House of Commons with the new Feed in Tariff the topic of conversation.
The BPVA hosted an evening at the House of Commons on the 3rd November with Dr. Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test. The BPVA Chairman, Reza Shaybani, joined prestigious speakers alongside the MP, including Alistair Granger from the Department of Energy and Climate Change DECC, a representative from the Micropower Council and representatives from the German solar industry.
Alistair Granger, an Engineer from DECC explained that the government had been faced with the option of abandoning the Feed in Tariff altogether or reducing it in order to offer sustainability in the long term. Consultation on the policy continues until the 23rd December, with a final announcement in the New Year.
Reza Shaybani, Chairman of the BPVA expressed the industries concern over the hundreds of people who will inevitably lose their jobs over this move and right before Christmas.
Dave Sowden from the Micropower Council told the audience that solar energy had captured hearts and minds in the UK. He agreed that the lower tariff was acceptable, but any lower and it would have had an impact on financing. He also stressed that beyond solving the current difficulties the industry needed to ensure that the government ‘get solar’ and said that he felt they were making it a party political issue which was bad for the industry as a whole. He also added that the solar industry was playing an important part in putting energy efficiency into people’s minds which was an important segway for the Green Deal to be introduced in 2012.
Alan Whitehead, MP, has spent many years working on energy, climate change and fuel poverty issues in the UK parliament. He told the audience that he had taken the opportunity at Prime Minister’s Questions to urge David Cameron to intervene personally on the future of FiT. He said that although he did not receive a reply, he was happy it was now on record. He also noted that Germany had faced issues over the feed in tariff, but had continued to successfully embrace the technology. He added that the UK was so far behind in their progress, which was why the debate today was so sad.
Several companies from Germany, who all expressed their thanks for being invited to such an esteemed venue, added their response to the feed in tariff and the importance of the market in the UK.
