Renewable energy early adopters 'betrayed' by clean energy cashback scheme

[Ted]

Early adopters of onsite renewable energy technologies have been left feeling 'betrayed' by the UK government, after it emerged they will be unable to access the higher rate of support available through the new feed-in tariffs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/renewable-energy-feed-in-tariffs

[rhys]

Good to see,
The point is at least made that the FIT rates ignore the free word of mouth advocacy of Renewables, that early adopters bring to the industry.
I've certainly put off any thought of PV for the time being, DIY route is effectively cut off, and I don't really trust that there won't be another repeat of the same attitude a couple of years down the road.
The same is about to happen with the renewable heat proposals.

[wookey]

It's funny. We all complain for years that the govt doesn't do enough to support renewables. Then when they finally do do something, we find that we don't actually like it very much...

I suspect many activist campaigns find that victory is never quite how they imagined it :-)

[Ted]

It's clear to me that the prime motivation of FITs should be to incentivise the installation of more renewables - but clearly not at any cost.

It also seems clear to me that the motivation of the DECC officials charged with drawing up the conditions for FITs has been to fill as many perceived loopholes as their fevered imagination - and fed, no doubt, by 'the industry' - can find just to save a penny here and there.

The result is a system that will fail to fulfill the potential of what could have been achieved and will probably make microgeneration in the UK a laughing stock (again - following B&Q Windsave and the LCBP).

[Outtasight]

Will it hinder things that much?  The rate at which PV is dropping in price, they'll be giving them away free with cereals in a couple of years.  In the last year alone the cost has dropped significantly.  Justme reckons his supplier can lay his hands on new 80W modules for about £135... I paid £126 for some used BP ones.  Eight months ago I was paying about £225 for similar modules. 

[renewablejohn]

It also seems clear to me that the motivation of the DECC officials charged with drawing up the conditions for FITs has been to fill as many perceived loopholes as their fevered imagination - and fed, no doubt, by 'the industry' - can find just to save a penny here and there.

Ted

How right you are.

We had to jump through hoops to get our BEIS grant from DECC even to the extent of setting up two companies one for the fuel supply and the other for the fuel usage. We had to put a supply agreement in place between the companies to show a contracted amount of fuel supplied.
We then applied for a Carbon Challenge grant for installation of the CHP plant and was refused due to the perceived ability to manipulate the transfer price between the two companies that we were forced to set up by DECC.   

[northern installer]

somebody has lost sight of the original aims here,which surely are to generate electricity by way of microgeneration plants.The possible output of such a plant in isolation is very small,but collectively,given sufficient take up,it is of considerable significance;we all know that !   I can understand that a 'meaty' fit rate is desirable to attract more to take this up,but surely to simply cut off schemes without a penny that do not comply with a certain list of manufactures is going against the original aim? if a system complies with bs 7671 and any structural requirements,and is generating electricity,what is the problem? if the panels fail prematurely,it hasnt cost anyone except the owner of the plant !      I agree with Ted,we are going to be  made laughing stock in renewable circles.