The proposal to remove the guarantee of fair payment and Feed-in tariffs for exported power is very concerning to me as I feel that companies that have made investments in clean technology should not be subjected to disincentives because of it.

It’s clear that it will disincentivise the purchase of solar panels meaning that other non-sustainable, non-renewable methods will be on the rise as they are cheaper easier to install.

I am also concerned at the effect of the Government’s policies on solar and renewable energy more widely. In July this year, the Solar Trade Association (STA) published the results of a survey showing that job losses in the solar industry over the last 12 months could exceed 12,500 – around one third of solar jobs. The STA also found that 30% of solar businesses expected to cut jobs in the next year and that solar deployment is expected to fall this year to 300MW, from an average of 1GW over the past five years.

As requested I have written to the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth to press your concerns and I will continue to highlight them in Parliament as well.  I will provide an update as soon as I have received a response.