On Wednesday 4th January 2012 the government lodged an appeal against a High Court judge's ruling that its proposed cuts to solar power subsidies were `legally flawed’. It is argued that the cuts were essential to encourage as many homeowners as possible to install renewable energy and it has been stated that the judge's ruling was premature, as the final decision to cut the solar subsidies had not been taken at the time.
The proposed cuts have caused great concern within the PV industry that fear that the speed of the changes could threaten thousands of jobs. However, Ministers argue that without an urgent reduction in the current tariffs, the budget for the scheme would be severely depleted and there would be very little available for future solar PV generators, or for other technologies.
The group's head of campaigns, Andrew Pendleton, said: "Trying to appeal the high court's ruling is an expensive waste of taxpayers' money. The government must expand the scheme – with all the tax revenue the scheme generates, this can be done at no extra cost to bill payers. Ministers should end business uncertainty and protect jobs with a clear plan to reduce payments from February – in line with falling installation costs."
Climate minister Greg Bark has tweeted "Timing up to Courts but hope to resolve well before the end of the month."