Over 40% of UK solar installers are considering leaving the industry and 78% are thinking of reducing staff levels because of government plans to end the feed-in tariff and export tariff for small PV, according to a survey by the Renewable Energy Association (REA).
The survey was conducted by REA subsidiary the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) and had 140 respondents from its members.
REA chief executive Nina Skorupska said: “While we would not normally be so stark, it is becoming increasingly clear that the government is endangering the jobs of thousands with the current proposals for the closure of the feed-in tariff without any adequate replacement alternative measures to assist this important sector.
“The retention of an ‘export tariff’ to fairly compensate projects for the energy they generate and then send to the grid for others to use, would as a minimum provide some relief and is a logical and fair measure.
“Additional tax support and reform of the Energy Company Obligation scheme would use existing schemes to provide support in a way not requiring huge changes. The reform of the feed-in tariff in 2016 led to around 9000 job losses and we must avoid a repeat of this.”
RECC chief executive Virginia Graham said: “RECC members are predicting widespread job losses in the small-scale solar PV sector next year unless an alternative support mechanism is in place from 1 April 2019.”
Image: Morgue File
‘UK policy puts PV jobs at risk’
By EBS