Business Secretary Vince Cable today had nothing to say when questioned about the Solar Energy Industry which has been so badly hit by the Government’s decision to review the cash paid for the electricity fed into the national grid.
During Business, Innovation and Skills Questions in the House of Commons today, Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham asked the Business Secretary about the impact of the Government’s review on the industry. Alex said:
“On Tuesday in a 30 minute debate on ‘Solar Power and the Feed-in Tariff’ I spoke out against the Government’s plans to change the Feed-in Tariff, which mean that many medium sized solar projects will no longer be viable.
“I had hoped the Business Secretary might have something to say to this fledgling green industry which according to the Renewable Energy Association has been ‘strangled at birth’. Unfortunately he had very little to say, simply stating the decision was taken by the Department for Energy and Climate Change and that he would pass on my concerns.”
“This is not good enough, given that the industry had been expected to create 17,000 jobs by the end of the year. If the Government’s plans go ahead, we can wave goodbye to those new jobs. Surely he could have said something to try to reassure a very angry industry about the future.”
“In Stockton North Norton Sports Complex had plans to install a 1.5MW solar energy scheme which would have secured vital funds via the Feed-in Tariff. If the tariff is reduced for schemes over 50kW then the scheme in Norton will not be viable.”
