The Department for Energy and Climate Change has revealed that from December 12-18, a measly 812 systems were installed. The figure is down by 97 percent from last week’s incredible installation figures that saw 125.93MW of capacity installed, as installers rushed to beat the December 12 deadline.
The effect of Government’s decision to half the subsidy afforded to sub 4kW systems has lead to just 803 systems being installed the week after the cuts were imposed. The installs make up a total capacity of 2.12MW, down from a staggering 80MW the week before, an eye-watering 98 percent drop.
The graph above, released by DECC, serves to illustrate just how devastating the Government’s cuts to the FiT will be on the rate of domestic installs.
The UK’s total solar capacity now stands at a mightily impressive 759MW, firmly placing it within the top 10 global solar markets. The UK more than doubled iSupli’s predicted 350MW market level for 2011.The 50 percent slash in subsidy, now puts the market back in line with January 2011 levels.
The UK’s solar boom has been fuelled by the Government’s decision to cut the feed-in tariff rate for solar PV. Since October 31, when changes to the feed-in tariff were announced, an astronomical 384MW of solar capacity has been installed in the UK. In just six weeks the UK more than doubled its capacity, with 43 percent of 2011’s installed capacity put in place after DECC’s announcement.
The install figures coincide with the closing day of the consultation period set by the Government over the proposed cuts to the FiT. The cuts were enacted on December 12, eleven days before the consultation ended – a move which the High Court has ruled as “legally flawed”.