Murdo welcomes Government help for Solar Industry with reintroduction of Pre-Accreditation and increased feed-in-tariff rates
Scottish Conservative Energy Spokesman, Murdo Fraser MSP, has welcomed the UK Government’s decision to reintroduce pre-accreditation for solar PV and to increase feed-in-tariffs to 4.39p/kWH instead of the planned 1.63p/kWH.
This review has shown that the UK Government has listened to representations from the public and industry and domestic tariffs will only be cut by 64% rather than 87%.
The new tariffs will come into force from 8 February, and the deadline for projects to receive the current higher tariffs is now the 15th January.
This is compared to a rate of 12p/kWh today
The new incentive levels mean that solar will likely remain a good investment for business customers, particularly given the reintroduction of pre-accreditation, which makes it easier for firms to confirm the level of support they will receive for larger projects.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“I welcome today’s announcement from the Department of Energy and Climate Change which clearly shows that the government listens to and understands the industry.
“When the initial feed-in-tariff changes were announced industry leaders made it clear that their aim was to be subsidy free but a smaller reduction in tariff levels was required in the interim period. The Government has listened to this and have delivered for the industry.
“The reintroduction of pre-accreditation should also be welcomed as this is critical in maintaining investment in larger solar projects.
“Above all today’s review clearly demonstrates the commitment of the UK Government in supporting renewables and decarbonisation.”