We were due to launch our Share Offer on w/c 14 November 2011. Unfortunately, on Monday 31st October, the Government announced a review of the Feed in Tariff, in which they proposed to cut the solar PV tariffs by over 50%, from the 12th December 2011. Unfortunately, this makes the MORE Renewables business model unworkable in it's existing form. While we had been expecting a cut, the magnitude and timing of the reduction means we cannot carry on as planned. So, our team met on Saturday to discuss what to do next. We have a functional organisation made up of willing people, who believe in the social and environmental benefits of small-scale renewable energy generation, so we are not giving up - we just need to work out the best way of moving forward.
One of our projects (Lancaster Co-housing) has expressed an interest in paying for the electricity generated by the PV system, so if we can work out a satisfactory deal with them, then a 50 kW system will probably be installed in the new year and a share offer launched to fund it. If you represent one of our existing projects and would like to talk to us about buying renewable electricity at a fixed, competitive rate for 25 years, please get in touch.
Overall, we feel the way the Government has handled the FIT review has been extremely unhelpful. Currently, the new rates are subject to a consultation that ends on 23rd December (bizarrely, 11 days after the new rates are due to come into force) and we will - along with other similar organisations and industry members - be lobbying the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to make changes (such as a community tariff) that better protect community-focused organisations like ours. We would ask that anyone interested in influencing the results of the consultation, responds to it directly here and also signs the online petition here. Writing directly to your local MP and/or to Greg Barker MP (Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change) is also recommended.
We would like to express our thanks to all those schools, colleges and community groups who supported our publicity and generously gave their time to help us develop our strategies, and to everyone else that has been involved. While we are disappointed to have to announce the curtailment of our original plan, we are hopeful that MORE Renewables will continue and that people's efforts will not have been wasted. If you have any questions or good ideas you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you.
One of our projects (Lancaster Co-housing) has expressed an interest in paying for the electricity generated by the PV system, so if we can work out a satisfactory deal with them, then a 50 kW system will probably be installed in the new year and a share offer launched to fund it. If you represent one of our existing projects and would like to talk to us about buying renewable electricity at a fixed, competitive rate for 25 years, please get in touch.
Overall, we feel the way the Government has handled the FIT review has been extremely unhelpful. Currently, the new rates are subject to a consultation that ends on 23rd December (bizarrely, 11 days after the new rates are due to come into force) and we will - along with other similar organisations and industry members - be lobbying the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to make changes (such as a community tariff) that better protect community-focused organisations like ours. We would ask that anyone interested in influencing the results of the consultation, responds to it directly here and also signs the online petition here. Writing directly to your local MP and/or to Greg Barker MP (Minister of State for Energy & Climate Change) is also recommended.
We would like to express our thanks to all those schools, colleges and community groups who supported our publicity and generously gave their time to help us develop our strategies, and to everyone else that has been involved. While we are disappointed to have to announce the curtailment of our original plan, we are hopeful that MORE Renewables will continue and that people's efforts will not have been wasted. If you have any questions or good ideas you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you.
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