What is the real reason behind the government’s solar cuts?

[The Solar King]

If you haven't read this article, you should. You need to know who we are fighting and why.


What is the real reason behind the government

 

[grandfortune]

SOunds about right to me.

 

[Solar Elec Ltd]

Sounds right to me also! What is this government coming to!

 

[whlphil]

It's an interesting proposition, sort of takes me back to an argument I've had before about the importance of pushing the decentralised benefits. What's going to happen when all the electric cars that are going to appear In the network over the next 5-10 years plug in and start drawing power that can't be provided by the network without it going into general melt down.

As far as I'm aware the network is designed round the short term draw of a kettle and the long term draw of a charger won't permit the network to cool so distributed generation is ideal to lower this load?

Yes theres the argument that you will want to charge through the night but there nothing stopping putting benefits on using daytime charging say using solar carports.

 

[The Solar King]

This may put further context into this. It is article from Private Eye October 28th:

"KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So much for Energy Secretary Chris Huhne's lambasting of the energy companies' predatory pricing and his boast to last month's Lib Dem conference: “We're going to get tough with the Big 6.”[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He and David cameron called energy suppliers to an “energy summit” last week to lay the down the law – and the emptiness of the rhetoric was obvious as soon as the meeting finished.[/FONT]


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We have already got, compared to other countries, relatively good electricity and gas prices,” Huhne purred as the “predators” simply agreed to write to consumers about home insulation and explain the tariffs better.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The change of heart is because the government realises it needs to keep the big 6 onside.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Firstly huge investment is needed from them to replace power stations that will soon close; and thats before the even bigger amounts required to deliver the decarbonisation agenda.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Next, their help is needed on the practical details of fiendishly complex new electricity market “reforms” Huhne is trying to push through - particularly a scheme of “capacity payments” (to be paid to power stations whether they generate or not, the brainchild of Oliver Letwin).[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The big 6 - British Gas, Scottish Power, nPower, EDF Energy, Scottish and Southern, and EON UK – have also recently shown the government a flash of steel. They have hinted they might raise legal challenges to several aspects of energy policy, including the carbon price floor for making new nukes “economic”, and other matters being pursued by Ofgem, the energy regulator. Neither Ofgem not the government have an appetite for such protracted battles.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The energy giants have shown they are quite capable of throwing their toys out of the pram. Two days after the summit Scottish Power announced its withdrawal from the only serious carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the UK, rejecting £1bn of subsidy in so doing. Two weeks before, Scottish & Southern had withdrawn a new nuclear project – another key plank in coalition energy plans.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]No wonder energy secretary Chris Huhne changed his tune after talking tough in front of his party faithful.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]©[/FONT]Private Eye"[/FONT]


One is left wondering if Chris Huhne has done a secret deal behind closed doors selling out the public, his Party and a whole Industry

 

[Maff]

I think you have it in a nutshell, I am expecting an anouncement before xmas from the big six to say they are freezing tariffs as a kickback for the government pulling the plug on the solar industry. Then in the future the big six will probarbly roll out all maner of subsidised renewable schemes as they dont want decentralisation of the renewables sector because of the potential longterm profit, also that idiot tory and who wants to run power stations on fracked shale gas is still shouting, I have had several conversations in my kids playground with parents who have read that shale gas is the answer??