FiT cuts in UK threaten 20k jobs, 1 GW annual installs - report

Friends of the Earth says the planned cuts to feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for small-scale solar in the UK will result in the loss of 1.1 GW of new photovoltaic (PV) capacity each year to 2021.

The Guardian cited the environmental organisations network as saying that as many as 22,000 jobs could be lost because of that decline in annual installations.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) last week released a consultation on proposed changes to the FiT scheme and a FiT expenditure cap. There will be an 87% reduction in support for domestic solar and an up to 82% cut in FiTs for commercial rooftops from as early as January 2016.

“From California to China, the world is reaping the benefits of a solar revolution, yet incredibly in the UK David Cameron is actually trying to shut rooftop solar down,” Alasdair Cameron from Friends of the Earth said soon after the move was announced.

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