UK Installed PV capacity exceeds 8GW, industry campaign for rethink on cuts
The British Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published statistics on energy production and consumption. (September 2015)
According to the DECC figures UK's total share of electricity generation that came from renewables increased to a record high of 25 per cent in Q2, 2015, due to increased renewable capacity and more favourable weather conditions for renewable generation.
This is an increase of 8.6 percentage points when compared to a year earlier. Renewable electricity generation rose by 51.4 per cent in Q2; 2015 compared to a year earlier.
Solar PV generation rose by 115 per cent, from 1.5 terawatt hours (TWh) to 3.2 TWh, due to increased capacity, now exceeding 8 gigawatts.
Despite this encouraging news there is concern in the industry.
A new joint campaign is being launched by the Solar Trade Association and RenewableUK opposing the Government's plans to cut financial support to small-scale renewables, including wind turbines and solar panels.
The campaign, entitled People Power, is calling for members of the public, as well as the thousands of renewable energy employees, to petition the Government to provide more stable support to these maturing sectors by writing to their local MP and harnessing the power of social media.
The Government's current plans are in danger of causing substantial job losses to the renewable energy sector by drastically reducing the amount of financial support local communities can receive from electricity suppliers for the clean power they generate.
The potential changes mean that a huge number of renewable energy projects would no longer go ahead and that home-grown electricity will be out of reach to ordinary households, farmers and small businesses.
Gemma Grimes, Director of Policy, Consents & Intelligence at RenewableUK said:
"This campaign is about sending a simple message to Government: don't wreck an industry, which for the first time has given people the power to control their own energy supply. Small-scale renewables is an extraordinary success in the UK, creating thousands of new green jobs and allowing local communities to generate their own clean energy."
"The Feed-in Tariff provides a lifeline to the rural economy, allowing farmers and small businesses to diversify their income and save on their electricity bills, especially during tough economic times. The Government's actions are in danger of consigning this great work to the past."
Leonie Greene, Head of External Affairs at the Solar Trade Association said:
"Poll after poll shows the great majority of the public strongly supports local renewable energy. Yet Government proposals for Feed-in Tariffs are extreme and they will stop families and communities from investing locally in clean energy all over the UK. This would be an astonishing step backwards as we head toward crucial climate talks in Paris."
"To prevent this happening it is vital that people make their voice heard in Parliament right now. Individual voices are small but together we can deliver a message that Westminster cannot ignore. The Action for Renewables website makes it easy for people to contact their MP and urge them to fight these proposals and protect people power."
The campaign is being run through the "˜Action for Renewables' website and can be accessed here: www.actionforrenewables.org/people-power
