A judge has ordered an urgent hearing of a High Court challenge over Government plans to cut financial incentives for solar electricity. Environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth (FoE) and two solar companies, Solarcentury and HomeSun, won the go-ahead to seek a ruling that the proposals are unlawful.The Judicial review will be heard on Tuesday and Wednesday (20/21 December 2011) next week.
The case centres on Government plans to cut feed-in tariff subsidies, payments made to households communities and businesses that generate green electricity through solar panels, on any installations completed after Monday this week.
Mr Justice Mitting said today the proposals had given rise to "economic risk" for those engaged in the solar industry and the challenge should be heard as a matter of urgency next week.
John Faulks, Company Secretary, Solarcentury said: "We are pleased with the decision here at Solarcentury. But it is only the first step of the legal challenge. The Court agrees that we have a case to argue and has given us permission to challenge DECC. Next we need to persuade the Court that DECC has acted illegally. That will happen as soon as possible. The legal challenge is only part of the wider campaign by Solarcentury and the solar PV industry to get the Government to recognise the strategic value of solar PV in the energy mix and maintain viable support to build a successful industry."
He added: "The industry was expecting a cut in tariff and would have actively engaged with DECC to create a sustainable scheme including accepting significant but workable cuts. A cut of over 50% that occurred in just six weeks and before the end of a consultation period is irrational. Win or lose on Tuesday next week the industry still has to sort out the chaos DECC have already caused. They seem to have learned nothing from Spain, France or Germany about how to develop a viable renewable energy industry for the future benefit of the country."
