INDUSTRYPERSPECTIVE
Keeping faith in the FiT
The United Kingdom launched a globally welcomed Feed in Tariff (FIT) last year instigating a flurry of interest in the UK PV market. Less than one year later the Government plans to cut the FIT rates for PV projects over 50kW. While it would be easy to focus on the negatives of this decision but the truth is that business will continue. Andrew Lee, International Sales Manager for Sharp Solar in the UK suggests that now is not the time to lose faith in the FiT and examines how the UK industry is placed to react to cuts and looks where job opportunities are for those looking to enter the industry.
t only took 352 days for the self-proclaimed greenest Government to go back on its commitment to building a low-carbon Britain. Introduced in April 2010, the FIT scheme enabled the country’s solar and renewable energy industry to grow substantially by providing incentive payments for the amount of electricity produced, additional bonuses for power exported into the grid and a reduction on standard electricity bills. Aimed at households, schools, hospitals and various businesses, the tariffs were introduced to help increase the level of renewable energy in the UK. However, on the 18th March, Energy Minister Greg Barker proposed that from 1st August, solar installations rated at 50-150kW would see a 42 percent cut to 19p p/kWh. Medium-sized solar installations of 100kW could see incentives cut by more than 40 percent, while large renewable projects could see subsidies slashed by more than 70 percent.
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Keep your eyes on the prize Over the last year, the FIT has been a great success and has stimulated green growth, driven technological innovation, cut tonnes of carbon emissions and created many new jobs. Although it is difficult to gain an exact figure for the number of employees in the UK’s PV industry, the FIT has boosted numbers dramatically, with a recent survey indicating an increase of around 230% between 2009 and 2010 (pre- and post-FIT). Since
the FIT was introduced, solar power has been the driving force accounting for 93% of registered installations. According to Ofgem, there have been more than 11,000 renewable energy projects, the vast majority of which are solar PV panels, while between April 2010 and March this year, there were 24,744 total installations registered to participate in the FIT.
In a period of rising unemployment and economic uncertainty the UK PV industry was bucking the trend. In addition to the top-line benefits, jobs were being created in management, sales, advice and other technical support areas, while re-training possibilities were offering legions of installers and
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www.solar-pv-management.com Issue V 2011
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