Does This Government Support Renewables?

Everyone knows that subsidies for large-scale photovoltaic installations are to be cut drastically. What most people fail to understand about that is that the most devastating impact will be on what is known as community-scale solar. And what is community scale solar? It's putting solar panels on community centres, police stations, hospitals, local businesses ..... a far cry from large solar parks, which the government claims to be targetting in the cut.

The government has repeatedly said its review of feed-in tariffs is being done to stop field-sized, industrial level, solar power plants from taking the lions share of the profits, but in real terms the impact will hurt projects in schools and other public buildings, which will make it harder to convince them to invest.

Feed in tariffs have become the driving forces which have transformed solar into the largest growing industry sector in the world. Solar power is popular, exciting and it's here to stay. The UK has more than 4,000 square kilometres of roof space. Solar on south-facing roofs and facades alone would meet a third of our electricity needs.

With sustained investment, starting now, by 2020 a domestic solar roof could cost little over £3,000, supplying around half the home's power. It is a fact that as production increases the price of something comes down, and the solar industry has been growing rapidly, globally, for years.

Yet far from embracing the technology, the coalition government has taken action which could set the industry back years. The industry claims no assessment of economic or jobs benefits was undertaken to determine would its cuts in the rate of the tariffs would mean.

In Europe, the value of solar is realised. More solar capacity was installed on the continent, in the last year, than any other renewable technology. The UK solar industry has come late to the party, but now that it has arrived at a place where it is growing alongside it's European counterparts, government action may turn back the tide.

The time for investment in renewables - solar in particular - has never been more right. Fuel costs are rising, and much of the population is struggling to keep up. The oil era is coming to an end, and this will create social chaos unless people in a position to change things act now.

Yet there seems to be reluctance to take the necessary steps.

The question is, Why? Does the government have something against renewable technology?