Business Green have today reported that a group of solar firms have today confirmed they will launch legal action against the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) over its controversial plans to drastically reduce the feed in tariff for solar installations with just six weeks' notice.
The group, led by Solarcentury, said it is now seeking an interim injunction to stop the government imposing changes to the feed-in tariff scheme from 12 December, ahead of the completion of the formal consultation period on the proposed reforms.
Friends of the Earth have warned climate minister Greg Barker, that unless he orders a rethink on the government's proposed cuts by 4pm tomorrow, the green NGO will also launch legal action.
The government insists the changes need to come into effect from next month in order to avoid a "gold rush" that would threaten to push the feed-in tariff scheme past its spending cap
However solar companies state that the pace of the cuts and the decision to change the scheme before the completion of the official consultation on 23 December is "illegal, irrational and unreasonable". They’ve stated that it has already led to large contracts being cancelled, including several deals with housing associations and local authorities planned for early next year, ahead of the April 2012 cut-off date for any changes to the feed-in tariff scheme.
Solarcentury chairman Jeremy Leggett, who said the company had been left with no choice but to resort to the courts states,
"It is profoundly depressing that "the greenest government ever" has, after just 18 months, launched such an assault against a growing industry employing 25,000 people," he said. "I would much rather be helping to create many more Big Society jobs than taking the government to court, but sadly they leave us no choice. If they were to get away with this the consequences will go way beyond the wider PV sector. What low-carbon industry investor or company will be able to trust the prime minister, Mr Huhne and Mr Barker ever again?"
Solar industry representatives are scheduled to meet climate change minister Greg Barker later today to argue that the proposed cuts should be phased in more slowly and should be more modest in scale.