The mood at Solar Energy UK was mixed according to Alexander Creed, Partner and Head of Resources and Energy who attended the event.

Whilst there are opportunities for solar PV after the 1st April 2016 and he believes solar PV will continue to be installed there is going to be a sharp impact on the industry.

Unfortunately nearly 8 in 10 jobs in the solar energy sector could be at risk following a government announcement that significant cuts will be made to the domestic feed-in tariff.

Tariff to be cut by 87%

There are currently around 35,000 jobs in the solar industry, new analysis from the Solar Trade Association reveals.

But 27,000 – or 77% - of these could go after the proposed 87% cut to the domestic feed-in tariff for solar energy.

The tariff paid for electricity generated by solar rooftop panels on homes will be cut from 12.4p to 1.6p as of January 2016 under proposals announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The South East region will be worst affected, with around 4,000 positions expected to be cut, while the North West could lose 3,500 of its 4,300 solar jobs.

Paul Barwell, CEO of the Solar Trade Association, says short term thinking by the government could lead to higher energy costs in the future.

Changes to measurements

Changes to the way the government measures sunlight levels have also created a bias towards the South West. 

Previously, the measurements for sunlight levels were taken from near Sheffield. Now, the government is measuring from the sunnier south coast.

The Solar Trade Association wants the government to revert to the previous measurement as it says more than just one corner of the country should get the benefits of going solar.

Recently, the National Farmers Union, Confederation of British Industry and a number of local authorities came together to ask the government to reconsider these cuts.

Alasdair Cameron, Friends of the Earth’s renewables campaigner, says the ‘government’s war on renewable energy’ could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in investment.

He is worried the UK could be left trailing behind other countries on green energy.

Alexander Creed echoes these concerns at a time when over countries are looking at investing more into energy. With the Paris talks in December carbon emissions remain a key global issue and the UK Government is currently giving mixed messages to investors in renewable energy in the UK.