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This year, solar retrofits on existing homes have amounted to the equivalent of one roof per MP constituency per week, and the equivalent nationally of only one large factory roof per month.
In its summary of current solar deployment, the Solar Trade Association (STA) reveals that domestic rooftop solar fell by 75% in the first quarter of 2017 compared with average deployment since the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) began. This translates to a fall from approximately 2,700 installations per week to around 650.
On top of that, deployment of larger (50kW+) rooftops over the same period fell by 65% compared with average deployment in 2016. That translates to only around one large factory roof installation, like a car factory, per month.
‘It makes no sense to shut the most popular and cheapest clean power out of the energy market. That’s the last thing that consumers and a healthy, competitive market needs.’
PAUL BARWELL
Solar Trade Association CEO
The STA is now concerned about skills and efficiency retention in the sector, given that employment had already fallen by an estimated one third last summer. Since then, solar deployment has fallen by 70%, with worrying implications for employment in the sector today.
The end of March heralded the final closure of the Renewables Obligation, the key support scheme for solar farms, as well as the start of shock business rate rises for rooftop solar.
Solar, the UK’s cheapest and most popular source of clean power, also remains excluded from renewables auctions, where included technologies are now bidding for £290 million of new support.
‘With policy crunch points clearly hurting solar this spring we urge government to act now to stabilise the industry. Solar power led global renewables growth last year and it has an extraordinary future everywhere. But solar is being needlessly impeded in the UK by shock taxes, red tape and by a serious failure in the only remaining supportive policy. The UK solar industry risks being left behind while other major economies strengthen their stake in a booming world market.
‘We repeat our call on the government to table the simple secondary legislation needed to stop the extreme and anti-competitive business rate hike for rooftop solar.’
PAUL BARWELL
Solar Trade Association CEO
Click here for more from the STA.
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