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In the UK, early adopters of onsite renewable energy technologies
such as micro wind turbines and solar panels have been left
feeling "betrayed" by the government, after it emerged they
will be unable to access the higher rate of support available
through the new feed-in tariffs.
Under the UK government's Clean Energy Cash Back scheme,
which is to come into effect from April 1, businesses and
households installing on-site renewable energy technologies
will receive guaranteed payments from their energy suppliers
based on how much power they generate.
However, many of those organisations and individuals that
have already installed renewable energy technologies and will
be forced to enter the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme will receive
significantly lower tariffs than those installing new equipment.
The rules of the scheme require that all solar PV, wind,
hydroelectric and anaerobic digestion technologies with a
capacity of less than 50kW will have to transfer over from
being supported by the Renewables Obligation (RO) support
mechanism to the FIT scheme on April 1.
However, those that installed their technology and applied
for support through the RO prior to 15 July 2009 - the publication
date of the UK government's draft FIT proposals - will transfer
into the FIT scheme at a generation tariff of 9p/kWh. The
government maintains that the 9p/kWh rate is in line with
the level of income they would have received through the RO,
but it is less than half the rate offered to those installing
new technologies, which can top 30p/kW for some solar and
wind technologies.
Firms or households that have installed technologies with
between 50kW and 5MW before 15 July 2009 will have to stick
with the RO scheme, while those that have installed onsite
renewables since last July will have to make a one-off decision
about which scheme they choose to enter.
The move has left many early adopters furious at a set of
rules that will ensure those who follow their initial lead
end up earning considerably more from their solar panels or
wind turbines.
"We have received a large number of complaints from members
who feel they have been betrayed and taken for mugs," said
Dave Timms, green homes campaigner at Friends of the Earth.
"They took the risk of being early adopters and the general
sense is that they have been ignored."
His comments are echoed by Stuart Pocock, head of onsite
renewables at the Renewable Energy Association, who said it
was "unfair" that those pioneers who have already installed
renewable energy technologies will not be able to get the
full benefits from the FIT scheme.
"The last thing the renewable energy industry needs is bad
publicity at a time when people should be excited about finally
getting the FIT in place," he said. "Given the bad feeling
it will create and the fact we are talking about a relatively
small number of people, it is a very strange decision."
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