Greg Barker, feed-in tariff butcher

Greg – it is not too late to spare your blushes. Work with us and let’s fix this case study in how not to amend policy The shambolic handling of the solar power review by government has sadly demonstrated a shocking level of ministerial incompetence. Caught red-handed in the act of sabotaging the fledgling feed-in-tariffs that pay people for producing solar energy , climate minister Greg Barker has thrashed around wildly for someone to blame it on. “It was them, guv’nor!” he says , pointing a shaking finger at the previous government, or poor economic modelling (ie the civil servants), or the nasty capitalist solar park developers. The minister justifies his shock treatment of the sector by “put[ting] a stop to the threat of larger scale solar soaking up the cash”. Yet he hasn’t only stopped what he initially fingered as the villains in the piece (the very large solar parks on greenfield sites). He hasn’t just stopped larger industrial installations on supermarkets or huge industrial buildings. He has also jeopardised medium-sized installations above 50 kw – including many schools, hospitals, churches and community facilities – which would have dramatically scaled up the jobs in manufacturing and installation and servicing, and helped reduce carbon emissions. There is an unedifying arrogance to this so-called “greenest government ever” which is beginning to worry the wider renewables sector. Rather than try and fix a problem by working with and consulting with the solar sector and with the green groups who supported the feed-in tariff, the government has provided a case-study in how not to amend policy: • First, put uncertainty into the market by signalling an earlier than expected review of a sector that is only just beginning to bloom. Later, justify that uncertainty by background briefing from a former Cameron aide, who explains it was a deliberate ruse to take steam out of the sector, adding insult to injury. This isn’t Machiavellian politics … it’s Captain Mainwaring. • Secondly, in discussions with industry during the autumn, signal to them that the adjustments would be carefully considered to deal with the identified problem: suggest that the megawatt capacity may be reduced, maybe to as low as 2MW, or even 1 MW; that greenfield sites may be completely ruled out. But stress that you’re going to be careful not to cut the legs off the scheme. • Lastly, cut the legs off the scheme. Shock everyone by going way beyond what you’ve indicated to them in private meetings, destroying their belief in anything you say, and in so doing destroying your credibility with renewables investors and green organisations. And yes minister, the ripples from this fiasco go beyond the solar sector, as the renewables sector and the related investment community are a small and intimately connected bunch. To top it all, then tell everyone how they can trust this government with future reviews of the feed-in-tariffs (as the laughter begins) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (laughter rises); that the Green Investment Bank is safe in their hands (now deafening laughter); and that investors can trust this government to provide a stable platform for renewables investment in the UK (stop there, you’re killing me!). So we now have until May to persuade ministers to start listening to people like Ray Noble of the Renewable Energy Association who have said: “It’s an absolute disaster … no new projects will start after this [the review changes] comes into effect,” adding “this industry has been strangled at birth”. Or Barbara Hammon, chair of West Oxford Community Renewables – the very sort of social enterprise the government says it wants to support – who complains: “This government came in saying they are all about the ‘big society’, but this is big government writ large.” Or Andrew Lee of Sharp Solar, who employs 1,100 in manufacturing in Wrexham, who describes this as: “Terrible news for the renewable energy sector – the steep rise in job creation will stop and morale within the industry will drop as a result of this remarkable U-turn.” Or Friends of the Earth, or the Solar Trade Association, or the Micropower Council … I could go on. The voices are legion, and very angry because of this shameful betrayal. So, minister, a helpful word from the opposition benches. From someone who recently wrote to you offering help in extricating yourself from this mess. Work with us and green groups and the solar sector to get this right by May. Your temporary embarrassment can be eased by swallowing some humble pie, and listening to wise counsel. More importantly, we can rescue the situation and put confidence back in the renewables sector overall, grow our green jobs again, and hit our carbon reduction targets. PS. Minister, by the way, talking about uncertainty: already I’m hearing murmurings of discontent over your decision to delay the domestic tariff on the Renewable Heat Incentive . This looks like a worrying pattern … another coalition day, another coalition delay? • Huw Irranca-Davies is the shadow energy minister Feed-in tariffs Energy Renewable energy Solar power Energy bills Green politics guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 22, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.