Following months of angst and confusion in the solar industry and among solar supporters, the Government’s actions in launching another appeal with the Supreme Court is set to cause further anger among solar manufacturers and installers who are hoping to work with DECC to carve out a sustainable future for the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry.

While many people believe that a win from DECC is very unlikely and the 43p is likely to be reinstated for installs between 12^th December and 3^rd March, there is no guarantee. Solar installers therefore can only guarantee a 21p tariff for domestic, retrofit installations throughout the cloudy period until 1^st July 2012, when the FIT is likely to be cut again (this is currently in consultation, find out more here).

The appeal is unlikely to heard until later on in the year, meaning that those who have installed a solar PV system will not know how much FIT payments they will be set to receive.

JHS Solar Solutions advises those who are investing in solar to ensure that you are happy with the rate of return at 21p, anything extra will be seen as a bonus.

If you would like to know more about solar panel installations and the effect the FIT cuts may have on you, please contact us now. We deliver high quality solar panel installations throughout Banbury, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire and the West Midlands.

JHS Solar Solutions are proud members of the Independent Warranty Assurance Scheme (IWA). Following their installation quality survey, JHS Solar Solutions obtained 100% customer satisfaction, meaning that the team and products at JHS Solar Solutions are meeting the high quality standards set by Independent Warranty.

This achievement is something that the staff at JHS Solar Solutions are pleased to see, representing the hard work and dedication put towards each and every solar panel installation.

JHS Solar Solutions deliver a wide range of solar panels and bespoke solar installations throughout Banbury, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands. Please contact us if you would like to know more about JHS Solar Solutions and what we could offer you.

Released today (Thursday 9th February), the planned imporvements for the future of solar photovoltaic (PV) includes a 6 monthly digression for the FIT rate along with the new energy efficiency rating of D which will be implemented on solar panel installations after April 1st 2012.

The new consultation, released today has revealed that the 21p tariff which will take place on and after March 3rd, will continue until July 1st 2012. Then the FIT rate will drop to between 16.5p and 13.6p, dependant upon the number of installs which will take place between now and July 1st.

The solar industry will then see a drop in the FIT from October 1st 2012 to between 15.9 and 12.7p/kWp. Following this decrease, the solar industry will then expect to work towards a 10% digression every 6 months until there is no need to have a FIT in place to support solar PV, as long as there is a steady stream of installs during this time.

DECC have put a lot of dependency on the cost of solar dropping dramatically, in order for the new FIT scheme to work, aiming to have return rates of 5% as the national average.

As the solar industry are gradually realising their fate, there is no denying that solar is part of the Government’s long term plans, with the hope that the cost in going solar will drop so radically in the next ten years, solar parity will be with us.

The Government have announced their plans that their steps in creating a solar future will enable the UK to see solar installations of up to 22GW by 2020.

If you would like to know more about what these changes may mean for you, or to book a site survey with one of our specialists, please contact us now on 0845 302 4779 or email solar@jhssolarsolutions.co.uk. We can cater for all of your solar panel needs throughout Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire and the West Midlands. JHS Solar Solutions are dedicated solar PV installers that you can trust.

Since the announcement  that the Government had lost their court appeal, the solar industry was buzzing with the sound of speculation. Will the Government or won’t they take their appeal another step closer to the Supreme Court? What does the current FIT stand at and what impact does the activity within the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have on the renewable industry as a whole?

At JHS Solar Solutions, we pride ourselves on our honest and ethical nature, from the first point of call with our office team through to the installation and beyond, JHS Solar will always remain loyal to our clients. This is why we feel the need to ensure that customers and solar supporters alike are aware of the current FIT situation, before making the all-important move to install solar panels on your property.

There are a number of points to consider before making that final decision to go solar:

1)      Whilst the Government are going through the process of another appeal, this time to the Supreme Court, the FIT rate remains to be unknown. The industry is aware that the FIT will not be below 21p/kWp and as such, JHS Solar Solutions will quote based upon the 21p tariff. This rate stands up until at least 31^st March 2012.

2)      If the Government lose their appeal, anyone who has had an installation during the period of 12^th December 2011 – 3^rd March 2012 may stand to receive the 43.3p/kWp tariff for up to 25 years. If however they win their appeal, those who have installed solar panels will receive the 21p FIT payments.

3)      You can install after 3^rd March and generate a great saving from installing solar panels, most solar panel companies will provide you with a quote to show your expected savings from a 21p tariff, putting you in a great place to invest knowing exactly what you will save.

4)      If you feel pressured to make a decision, don’t give in. Most solar panel installers understand the importance of making the right decision. Solar will remain for a long period of time and so will your chance to make a green decision in the future.

Whatever is happening in the world of DECC and their new leader, Ed Davey, one thing remains: solar energy is very much the green choice for the future.

Energy Minister, Greg Barker explained to the Guardian: “There is the potential for solar power to become competitive with fossil fuels without subsidy within the lifetime of this parliament. Solar has gone from being one of the most expensive forms of renewable energy to one of the cheapest.”

Tomorrow’s announcement from DECC is expected to pave the future of the solar industry and give solar installers, manufacturers and supporters a brighter outlook.

DECC’s actions in announcing a retrospective date in decreasing the FIT prior to the Government’s consultation period ended resulted in a legal battle, putting the solar industry in a difficult position.

Friday 28th October 2011: The Energy Saving Trust leaked a document revealing DECC’s plans to halve the FIT rate.

Monday 31st October 2011: The Government confirmed their plans to reduce the FIT levels by up to 50%, with a cut-off date of 12th December 2011, 11 days before the end of the consultation period ends.

Thursday 10th November 2011: Solarcentury and Homesun launched their legal proceedings with the Government after leaving the industry with just 6 weeks to act upon the changes to the FIT levels.

Friday 11th November 2011: After the Government failed to amend their proposals, as suggested by Friends of the Earth (FoE), FoE launched their legal battle with the Government, believing that cutting the FIT before the consultation had ended was unlawful.

Wednesday 21st December 2011: The court case took place, ruling in favour of FoE, Solarcentury and Homesun. The High Court’s Mr Justice Mitting announced that DECC’s actions were “unlawful”. Mr Justice Mitting refused an immediate appeal from DECC, although they were given a deadline of January 4th to submit their appeal by.

Friday 23rd December 2011: The consultation to the Government’s plans to reduce the FIT rate ended.

Wednesday 4th January 2012: DECC only just met the court’s deadline to hand in their appeal by 4pm. This lead to uncertainty within the solar industry.

Friday 13th January 2012: The case was heard at the Court of Appeal, the Judges took leave to decide upon whether the Government had grounds to appeal.

Thursday 19th January 2012: DECC announce their own Plan B, giving the solar industry a glimmer of hope after a month without sales. The plan included confirmation that the 21p levels will not reduce even further, providing a new cut off date (March 3rd), should they lose their appeal.

Wednesday 25th January 2012: The Court of Appeal released their decision that DECC were unsuccessful in their appeal, opening up the 43p FIT until March 3rd 2012. This news quickly turned bitter-sweet after DECC announced that they were taking their case to the Supreme Court after four judges unanimously agreed that DECC did not have the grounds to appeal.

What does this mean? For those hoping to invest in solar, there is a chance they you could receive the higher tariff payments of 43p for the next 25 years, if you get your solar PV system installed before March 3rd 2012. However, if the Government’s appeal to the Supreme Court is successful, then you will stand to receive the 21p tariff guaranteed for the next 25 years. The Government have 28 days to prepare their case, meaning that it will untimately coincide with their new cut-off date in March.

The solar industry now await the consultation, which will be released by the 9th February 2012. It is hoped that the consultation will provide an outlook on solar PV life after April 2012.

If you had any questions regarding the Government’s actions and the FIT rates as they stand, or to enquire about your own solar PV system, please contact us on 0845 3024779 or send us an email at: solar@jhssolarsolutions.co.uk.

By taking their appeal to the Supreme Court, the solar industry could stand to be in yet another state of limbo.

The Government announced Plan B last Thursday, something which was welcomed by the industry as a sign of clarity upon the horizon. However the Government’s plans in another appeal attempt will mean further uncertainty, quashing the Government’s original proposals of accepting their fate granted by the Court of Appeal.

In a bid to stop Chris Huhne, Greg Barker and DECC, we are joining Friends of the Earth’s bid to ensure that something is done about it. If you believe that the Government’s next of appeal is simply unacceptable, then sign the Friends of the Earth’s petition.

Four judges agreed unanimously that the Government had no right in retrospectively cutting the FIT rate. However DECC continue to push for a judge to rule in their favour, after already spending £178,000 of the tax payers money rather than spending it wisely, investing in our future.

Join JHS Solar Solutions and make a stand today.

Today’s announcement means that the original tariff pre-December 12^th 2011 will come back into place until the new cut off date of March 3^rd 2012.

In a unanimous verdict, a total of 4 judges have decided that the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) actions were unlawful.

The loss of the appeal means that DECC will now stand to pay the £125,000 in legal fees, as well as giving Chris Huhne and Greg Barker full scope to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Should DECC launch another appeal to the Supreme Court, it will only put the industry in another state of uncertainty, as well as proving their own Plan B to be incorrect.

The solar industry are now calling for the Government to help them create a better future for the solar and renewable industry as well as putting confidence back within the people willing to invest in solar.

Solar Century’s Seb Berry questioned the Government’s potential actions through Twitter, “Appeal Court rejected DECCs application to appeal to the Supreme Ct. DECC can still apply directly but on what possible grounds?”

Labour MP, Caroline Flint has also taken to Twitter to advise Greg Barker and Chris Huhne to “get back to the drawing board”.

JHS Solar Solutions will endeavour to keep you up to date with the FIT news as it happens, if the Government launch their appeal to the Supreme Court then we could be in another state of uncertainty. Until then, a FIT rate of 43p will apply for installations made between December 12^th 2011 and Mach 3^rd 2012. From March 3^rd, FIT rates will drop back down to 21p until the Government arrange for the new proposals to decrease the FIT rate further.

If you would like a free quote for a bespoke solar PV installation, please don’t hesitate in contacting us now on 0845 302 4779 or email solar@jhssolarsolutions.co.uk

Since the shocking announcements which saw solar photovoltaic (PV) installations rocket during the six weeks leading up to the December 12^th deadline to guarantee FIT payments of 43p, before the end of the consultation period had ended; the Government’s actions had been criticised by many within and on the outside of the solar industry.

The Government was taken to court by Friends of the Earth, Solar Century and Homesun, when it was found that the Government’s actions to change the FIT rate before they ended their consultation was “legally flawed”; a decision which was then appealed by Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Greg Barker and the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the beginning of January.

Since DECC had launched their appeal, the solar industry was left in a state of limbo, without knowing the value of the FIT, installations could not be processed. The industry called out for some form of clarity from the Government, as well as Friends of the Earth pleading with DECC to put a Plan B motion into place to determine their next steps, whatever the outcome in the courtroom.

Plan B was finally released last Thursday, allowing the solar industry to breathe a sigh of relief. Plan B details DECC’s plans, should they lose their appeal and their plans should they win their appeal.

If DECC’s appeal is not granted, then the new cut off date for the 43p tariff will be put back until March 3^rd 2012, then it will revert back to the 21p tariff they had originally stated until April 2012. Should DECC win their appeal, then the 21p tariff will remain in place until April 2012.

Any future tariff from April 2012 is suggested to be set out in the consultation due for release by the beginning of February.

With a clearer path set out for solar investors and workers alike, it is hoped that such a situation will not happen again for any industry in the future.

The outcome for the court case is expected to be released this Wednesday (25^th January). JHS Solar Solutions will keep you updated with the news as it happens.

There is no avoiding the date set, to establish whether the Government’s appeal to the court’s decision that their actions in reducing the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) two weeks before the consultation deadline, is Friday 13th (unlucky for some). Whilst there has been a split in opinion for the solar industry between those that are pleading for another solar victory and those who simply would like Greg Barker and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to win for the sake of getting back to work.

No matter what the outcome is, there is a lot of apprehension in the air.

Should the Government lose it’s appeal today, many fear that it could prolong the uncertainty with the Government taking their appeal to the Supreme Court. Also many fear that today’s decision may result in further uncertainty, no matter what the outcome is.

There has been a call by many solar PV firms to come up with a compromise with DECC in order to protect the budget available to the FITs, whilst others believe that the Government should increase the pot available to those signing up to the FIT.

There is no question that the Government should be depending on the popularity of solar, to not only meet it’s renewable targets, but also because the industry alone brought in £330 million last year in income and corporation tax, and VAT, compared to the FIT scheme which cost £110 million (statistics from Friends of the Earth and Element Energy).

As the court is in full progress, the JHS Solar Solutions’ team will be avidly keeping an eye on every news source available, keeping our clients and followers up to date with the news as it happens.

Good luck to the solar industry! We are all hoping for a fair outcome which will enable confidence to be restored in the Government’s FIT scheme, and the solar industry to get back on track with a clear path.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) workers have certainly realised that a week can be a significantly long time, especially when the future of solar is hanging in the hands of Greg Barker and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The solar industry is campaigning for Greg Barker and his team to listen to the advice of the industry, to compromise a fair and sustainable solution.

Although before we can reach this stage, it is apparent that the industry is going through a rocky few weeks, as new rumours and truths are leaked out into the world of the web. Thus understandably, the many customers who are hoping to invest in solar are left in a very confused state.

This week, DECC have confirmed that the current Feed-In Tariff (FIT) rate will not be lower than 21p/kWp in a statement released by the Renewable Energy Association (REA): “The tariff rate for PV installations less than or equal to 4kW will not fall below 21p for installations with an eligibility date between 12th December 2011 and 31st March 2012.” Although how long this is for, is something that the industry is waiting for clarification on, something which is anticipated to be cleared up either this Friday at the Court of Appeal or indeed upon the release of the FIT consultation.

Friday 13th January remains a very prominent date for anyone who follows solar. The Appeals Court will ultimately decide whether DECC have grounds to appeal their case, if so then the hearing is said to be heard on the same day. DECC are appealing the High Court’s decision that their actions in cutting the FIT rate by half with just six weeks notice, bringing a cut off date before the consultation period ended, were illegal. By launching their appeal and submitting it to the Appeals Court last Wednesday (4th January) it has meant that the solar industry has been stuck in limbo until the case has been closed.

The solar industry are also awaiting the results of the consultation, which are believed to be released by the end of January. Although, the biggest concern on the solar industry’s mind is that a clear and fair path needs to be set and agreed upon by the Government and solar industry to ensure that nothing like this happens again.

This week’s events have lead to a great deal of rumours flying around. We wanted to ensure that the advice we give out has been backed up by DECC and REA. As it stands, there is no clear cut FIT rate. We understand that the FIT rate will not be below 21p for the foreseeable future, although until the all-important court case, we cannot advertise a FIT rate of either 43p or 21p until the outcome has been resolved. We believe that a FIT rate of 21p will give investors a competitive return on their investment, and for those who simply want to go green? With decreasing costs in the manufacturing of solar, you will stand to receive great costs for your renewable energy solution.

There has also been confirmation by DECC that they have “made a technical adjustment” in the level of investment into the FIT pot by putting aside a further approximately£200 million purely for the use of the FIT pot. Again, there has been some speculation as to whether the financial change, which was quietly conducted by DECC, was as a result of the FIT row or whether the money is intended for the influx of installations before the December 12th deadline.

Friday 13th January remains to be an important date for the solar calender. The industry is crying out for a fair and understandable route to be set out by the Government, in order to allow business to start up once again.

JHS Solar Solutions will continue to keep our customers updated on the proceedings. If you have any questions or uncertainty regarding the FIT fiasco, please feel free to call in today or email us with your concerns.

JHS Solar Solutions are a solar PV installation company based Banbury, Oxfordshire. We design and install bespoke solar systems to many areas including Oxford, Kidlington, Abingdon, Northampton, Buckingham, Birmingham and many more. Please contact us now to book your free, no obligations survey.