Greens propose 100% grants for domestic renewables

The day after the Westminster government passed licences to allowing fracking to be carried out under national parks and other protected sites of beauty, we had another blow to the renewables industry in the reduction of Feed in Tariffs (FiTs)which encourage investment in solar, wind and hydro power.

Welsh farmers are being hit hardest by this, as the Labour government increased the licence fees for hydro power earlier this year, and now the Conservative government has decreased the tariff.

 Grenville Ham, Green Party Candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire and Managing Director of TGV Hydro Ltd said “This is yet another devastating blow to the flourishing renewable energy industry in Wales. This year we have seen the Welsh Labour Government increase the licence fees for hydro schemes from £135 to up to £1500, and the Conservative Government slash the feed-in-tariff rate for wind, solar and hydro. The additional 20% reduction to hydro has come out of the blue and will inevitably lead to the loss of skilled jobs across Wales in terms of manufacturing, construction and design. It is also a bitter pill for our hill farmers looking to diversify their business through clean green energy, and our community groups looking to secure long-term income to tackle social problems.”

The addition of a deployment cap will further undermine confidence in the sector and make long term financial planning almost impossible. Despite the slightly better than expected result for solar it is difficult to see how renewable energy schemes will be able to raise finance.

Pippa Bartolotti, outgoing Wales Green Party leader said, ”It is clear that the influence of fossil fuel companies is stepping up as they fight against the agreements made at COP 21 to invest more in renewables and keep global warming to under 2 degrees C. 

“Greens propose a simplified renewables funding scheme for small domestic projects which would move investment possibilities away from the wealthier in society, and democratize energy by removing capital barriers. Removing FiT’s  for 4KW renewables projects, and replacing them with 100% grants to householders would be cheaper for the government, more accessible to homeowners and importantly would save the 1000’s of skilled jobs now being threatened.”