By Howard Johns, Chairman, Solar Trade Association
Now we have all got over the shock announcement of potential changes to the FiT some people in the industry are saying we should just get on and make the 21p work.
In many ways if that was what the plan really was I would agree, but having sat in the Ministerial Roundtable about the FiT changes I am left with more worry than before. The Minister made it quite clear “we have to reduce demand” and there are a number of things in the announced changes that will make this happen.
Reason one
On the timing – bringing in the changes to the FiT before Government has finished consulting is possibly unlawful and certainly highly destructive. We as an industry really need to send a strong signal that we do want to cooperate with Government, but that we really will not stand for this level of bad treatment. It is totally unacceptable to have the goal posts changed in this way and we must make that clear to the decision makers or they will keep doing it.
Reason two
On the Rates – perhaps many can make them work – and good stuff if you can. However you cannot go out and sell on the back of them as this is a consultation and they may change again by the end of the period, leaving all our clients in a pickle. It places a level of uncertainty that is designed to stop our businesses working. It also stops many of the invested schemes – which although many don’t like – are crucial to stop us being branded as a tax on the poor for the green bling of the rich. We need the social homes to have PV to keep this balanced.
Reason three
On the energy efficiency requirements – this is perhaps the most worrying. A level C EPC is only held by 10%ish of UK homes. It costs between £5-7K to get one. Are your clients really going to want to do that to get their FIT? Of course we all want to see homes be more efficient – but electrical generation is unrelated to building performance so ultimately irrelevant – this standard is well above what is reasonable. It is using criteria from the green deal – which may or may not start in October, and will almost certainly be dominated by large companies. We are being told that this is an opportunity to diversify our businesses – well thanks but I like my business how it is and I don’t want to be an installation installer. This is a major show stopper and reason three why you need to be at the mass lobby.
Reason four
The ambition – when you dig into the paperwork (the impact assessment), it seems that they are looking to shrink the market from its likely 500MW installed market this year to a market of between 10MW and at most 200MW. That means that at least half of us are likely to go out of business in the New Year.
So you may be busy trying to beat the December 12 deadline – but you need to take action now to ensure you have a business beyond that date. Come along to the mass lobby on the November 22 (details below) as we need to come together to show that we want a solar future in the UK and tell all of our good news stories. Your MP needs to hear why green growth is essential and your business is needed to make it happen – see you there.
What actually happens on the day?
Things will kick off with a rally in a hall a few minutes walk from Parliament. We are lining up speakers from the major political parties to be there, and will get the chance to brief you on what happens when we go to lobby MPs.
Then at 2.30pm, we will take the short walk to Parliament, where you will get the chance to meet your MP. The more of us who do this, the more MPs we will get to talk to, and the bigger the impact we will have.
How will I get to talk to my MP?
Not many people realise they can walk into the House of Commons whenever it is in session and ask to see their MP. You enter the rather grand Central Lobby and fill in a form known as a “green card” and House of Commons staff will set off to try and find your MP so you can speak to them. But by all turning up and doing this together we will have a much greater impact.
Of course, it is not guaranteed that all MPs will be there (though we have organised this on a Tuesday, because it is one of the busiest times in Parliament). So you will increase your chances if you contact your MP now to tell them you are coming and see if you can make an appointment. A draft letter/email to send is here and you can get your MPs contact details from http://www.theyworkforyou.com/
I can’t get there at 1pm…can I come later?
Technically you can turn up and lobby your MP at any time – but the effect is greater if we all do this together. It would be helpful to be at the rally first – but if that really is impossible, get to the House of Commons as soon after 2.30pm as you can.
How long will we be there?
Although we will start queuing outside Parliament around 2.30pm, it will take a while to all get in. Parliamentary security will only allow 50-100 people into the central lobby at a time to call down their MP, so the bigger the turn out the longer it takes to get through. We really want to be able to keep the lobby going until 4-4.30.
You may have to wait anywhere from 10-30 minutes for your MP to arrive, and then are often taken off for a cup of tea, or to a meeting room or office to get the chance to explain your concerns. Every MP is different, but you can expect 10 minutes at least chatting with your MP.
If your MP is unavailable, your Green Card is passed onto them through the internal post system, and usually they contact you to apologise for missing your visit and asking how they can help. Alternatively, one of their staff may come to talk to you.
Should I bring other people with me?
The more people turn out, the better. So if you can bring a couple of colleagues – especially if they work with you but live in a different constituency so will see a different MP – so please do.
Obviously however people are busy – and even more so since this stupid decision was announced. So if you can’t spare staff, then think of another way you can show their support to your MP. Perhaps they could all sign letters which you could bring along to hand into the MP, and explain they wanted to come, but just could not spare the time because they are fighting to rescue the company from this ridiculous decision.
Is there anything else I can do?
If you are coming down, then why not let your local media know. Getting a media story about your trip to Parliament will increase pressure on your MP to act. It may help if you make sure you get a photograph of yourself at Parliament – either with Big Ben or another obvious landmark – or talking to your MP.
