The UK solar industry has launched an emergency rescue plan which would add £1 to household energy bills by 2019.
According to the Solar Trade Association (STA) this is an alternative to the government’s decision to cut solar support via the Feed-In Tariff scheme.
The plan could work for both the solar industry and the government, allowing a viable solar market to continue while giving the government the cost control guarantees it requires and potentially save 27,000 jobs, claims the STA.
Leonie Greene, Head of External Affairs at the STA said: “This emergency plan represents a compromise agreement which, given the current crisis, aims to find a way forward that is acceptable for both the Government and the solar industry.
“The fact that this plan costs just £1 per household shows just how affordable it could be to adopt steady, gradual reductions in support for solar.
“Solar is close to grid parity but it is not there yet. The Government’s 98% cut in the overall budget for solar would derail the industry at the last hurdle and waste the millions of public investment in solar to date.”