Solar firms can now be reassured, although there is a significant legal battle happening over whether the government’s plan to effectively cut incentives before the end of the consultation period is illegal, the rate of 21p will not drop for the current period.

It is implied that if the Government wins its appeal against a court ruling the tariff for installations carried out after December 12th will most likely drop to 21p, however, if the case is lost the subsidy is likely to revert to its previous rate of 43.3p.

During the initial appeal hearing last week the judges claimed, as it would be preferable to come to a decision about this case in the next week, it is optimistic to assume that a case this complex could be finalised in such a short period of time.

Ministers have repeatedly claimed that if the rates were to revert to previous rates of 43.3p, there would be a rush of installs that would destroy the budget for the scheme.

Figures suggest that almost as many installations were completed in the six week period running up to the cut off date, as were installed in the previous 19 months of the scheme. These figures are supporting the Government’s claim that a cut is required to prevent the scheme from exceeding its budget.

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Key speakers including Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker, and other members of the DECC will be attending to support the people of Birmingham to becoming a more energy efficient society.

Birmingham is already one of the leaders in the use of solar technology boasting one of the largest domestic PV projects in the UK, delivered by the Birmingham Energy Savers initiative. Birmingham City Council and Birminham Environmental partners are aiming to help the city become more energy efficient through the installation of pv panels, and the council has already made plans to install on 10,000 council rooftops.

Solar Power UK is a three day exhibition, at least four specialised conferences with additional training sessions and educational seminars. The conference aims to explore government policy, the industry supply chain, and key themes to sustain solar power in the UK.

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The council has ordered the homeowners to take their energy saving panels down as they go against the “character and visual quality” of the Borough. Planning permission is not needed to install the panels, but they must be visually pleasing for installation to take place.

Andrew Minhinnick installed his panels in October of last year and paid £8000 after following council guidelines. Minhinnick was more than shocked when the council had bestowed an enforcement order to remove them.

Minhinnick is currently appealing this decision and claims he will not remove his panels. He said: “I live in a close so there is no through traffic and there are only two houses that can see the front of my house.”

It seems that council rules state they don’t want to see any panels on the front of people’s homes in Epsom Borough.

John Sandison, of 1st Solar PV Ltd said, “Councillors should get their act together and say unless it is blatantly ridiculous we should allow it as permitted development.”

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A meeting is to be held on 17th August by Reading Borough Council’s cabinet to discuss the proposition that could dramatically reduce energy bills.As the council’s energy costs have tripled over the last decade and continue to rise,  it’s no wonder this town is looking for a greener and cheaper source of energy.

30 schools have shown interest in the idea that will cost the council an initial investment of £5 million, but the authority believes this will save around £3000 a year for each school.

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This decision has been predicted to alienate schemes planned by schools and other community organisations. The Treasury is said to be taking away the DECC’s ability to respond to advances in the market, instead of investing in one of the industries of the future.

The DECC claims the decision was made after the amount of large businesses eligible for a subsidy was far higher than expected. It is claimed that without action the scheme would be overwhelmed, declaring the new tariffs will sustain growth of green energy sources while protecting the money for households, small businesses and communities.

Larger projects with an installation between 50Kw – 150Kw will receive 19p per kilowatt-hour, dropped from 32.9p. Campaigners believe the Government should be increasing the tariff to encourage green energy not reducing it, and they are said to be disabling our contribution to alternative energy sources, rather than supporting it.

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The UK’s national grid has seen the biggest amount of energy generation ever for a single quarter from April to June of this year. This was 34 megawatts (MW) of energy which represents 15,500 installations compared to a 2,700 capacity of solar panel systems in the UK by the end of March last year.

It is the new feed in tariffs that have fuelled this massive increase as everyone wants to reap the benefits of a steady income for the energy they generate. The revised changes are coming into effect in August of next year giving home owners and small companies the urgency to install as quick as possible.

Although feed in tariffs play a huge part of the increased sales of pv panels, the decreasing price of the solar panel itself has made this a very attractive investment with installation costs down also. It has been calculated that the cost of solar cells, the technology that makes up the panel, has dropped by 70% since September 2008.

So make solar your best investment and take this fantastic money making opportunity while it still stands.

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16 Panel Sharp System £11,900*

21 Panel Sharp System £12,900*

*All of these pack prices are subject to survey. A £500 surcharge will be applied if it is on a slate/clay tile or flat roof. An additional cost may be applied  if scaffold is required*

Call 0800 0224451 and quote ref: WEBSOLAR to accept one of these offers