Press release

Judgement on Government Solar Appeal due Wednesday

24 January 2012

Judgment will be handed down at 10am tomorrow [Wednesday 25 January 2012] on the Government's appeal against last month's High Court ruling that its plans to cut solar subsidy payments were illegal.

 Following a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth and two solar firms, Solarcentury and HomeSun, the High Court ruled just before Christmas that Government plans to cut payments for any solar scheme completed after 12 December 2011 - 11 days before an official consultation into the proposal had even closed - were unlawful.

 The Court of Appeal will rule whether or not to allow the Government appeal - and if it does, will give judgement on it. The Government made its application for an appeal, and made the case for the appeal itself, at an earlier hearing.

Government plans to cut solar tariff payments have left the solar industry in shock, and put 29,000 jobs at risk.

 ENDS

 1. Friends of the Earth's legal challenge to cuts in solar incentives is part of its Final Demand campaign, which calls for energy we can all afford and a public inquiry into the power and influence of the Big Six energy companies. Find out more at www.foe.co.uk/finaldemand.

2. Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to:

• Establish a system which enables feed-in tariff payments to fall in line with the falling cost of solar technology, but in a way that supports the continued growth of the industry and jobs;
•  Increase the overall budget for feed-in tariffs using tax revenues generated by jobs created by the scheme - this will enable more households to benefit from solar power and would protect 29,000 jobs currently under threat;
• Exclude housing association, school, council and other community projects from the damaging proposal to give multi-building projects even lower financial support and instead support a higher community energy tariff for these projects; 
• Only require solar projects on homes to install loft and cavity wall insulation where possible - rather than imposing much tougher energy efficiency conditions which would make 9 out of 10 householders ineligible for the scheme.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust