Government cuts to the Feed-in Tariff stall solar panels in Haringey

Solar panels expected to remove 12.5 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year have been installed on the roofs of 12 hostels across Haringey.

But the council say government cuts have now left it unable to afford similar schemes in the future.

Over the 25-year lifetime of the panels, it is expected at least £67,000 will be generated from the sale of surplus electricity. The cash will be spent on energy-saving initiatives in the borough.

However, a government decision last month to halve the price they pay councils for surplus solar-generated energy has left any future schemes in doubt.

Cllr Joe Goldberg, Cabinet Member for Finance and Carbon Reduction, said it was "devastating" that many other similar schemes "may never see the light of day".

In December the High Court ruled in Friends of the Earth's favour, declaring the cuts to the Feed-in Tariff "legally flawed".

The government is appealing against this decision, and this will be heard on January 13th. This is in spite of the High Court judge having already said that an appeal by the Government would have no realistic chance of success.