U.K. to End Small-Scale Renewables Aid in Blow to Solar

[FBaggins]

The U.K. proposed to end an assistance program for small-scale renewable energy projects as part of a drive to cut the costs to consumers of subsidizing clean technologies.

Ministers plan to cut subsidies by as much as 87 percent from January and cap the budget for assistance, ending the program for new entrants after March 2019, according to the proposals outlined Thursday on the Department of Energy and Climate Change website. If it isn’t possible to rein in spending, the program of guaranteed electricity prices, known as feed-in tariffs, may close in January, it said.

The tariff program “has exceeded all renewable energy deployment expectations,” the government said. “However, this deployment success has also come with costs exceeding our projections.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-27/u-k-proposes-to-end-feed-in-tariffs-for-renewable-energy

Incredibly draconian.

The Treasury sets annual spending caps on clean-energy assistance programs that rise from 4.3 billion pounds this tax year to 7.6 billion pounds in 2020-2021. The government projects actual spending to reach 9.1 billion pounds by 2021, an overrun that only just falls inside the 20 percent headroom provided to allow for shifting costs. Thursday’s proposals would limit spending on new projects through March 2019 to 75 million pounds to 100 million pounds.

[ladjf]

1. The UK govt is bought and paid for by big business. nt

[kristopher]

2. That would be "the nuclear lobby"

The Conservative government has been steadily chipping away at energy efficiency and renewables since they assumed control of government. Their plan was a new fleet of nuclear reactors, but that isn't going so well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112790174

[FBaggins]

3. Sorry... that's your own strawman. Ladjf is correct

You're the one that can't see any room between pro-nuclear and anti-renewables.

All three major parties in the UK up until the recent election (Labor, Lib-Dems and Conservatives) supported the new nuclear build.

These decisions to gut renewables are being made by the Conservatives alone.