Be reassured, both sides of the new Government have always been firm supporters of the Feed-In Tariffs
Before the election, both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats made positive pledges about the Feed-In Tariffs.
Conservative election policy
- Allow all those who installed systems prior to July 15th 2009 to receive full Feed-In Tariffs rates
- Extend the upper limit of the Feed-In Tariffs above the 5MW ceiling
Liberal Democrat election policy
- A Green Investment bank
- An ‘Eco Cash-Back’ scheme, for one year only, which will give you £400 if you install double glazing, replace an old boiler, or install micro-generation
- More attractive feed-in tariff than under the Labour Government’s plans.
Coalition Government policy
So far, the following policy pledges have been made:
- We will establish a full system of Feed-In Tariffs in electricity
- We will seek to increase the target for energy from renewable sources, subject to the advice of the Climate Change Committee
- We will encourage community-owned renewable energy schemes where local people benefit from the power produced. We will also allow communities that host renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates they generate
(If you want to read the details in full, see pages 16 and 17 on ‘Energy and Climate Change’ and ‘Environment’ on this pdf of The Coalition’s Programme for Government.)
Other aspects of the policy, such as the introduction of a Green Infrastructure Bank and Green Bonds, should also provide helpful stimulus for the sector.
At this stage we await further details, however we feel the following is likely and would encourage the coalition Government to push through:
- Reward early adopters by allowing those who installed prior to July 15th to receive full Feed-In Tariff rates
- Provide financial assistance for low income households to invest in Feed-In Tariff eligible systems