ecoConnect's Green in the City Forum: where cleantech comes to do business.
Bringing together top funding executives, entrepreneurs, leading innovators and opinion leaders - key people driving the development of green industry policy, technologies and investment in this rapidly expanding market.
Facing strong Chinese competitive pressure on solar products manufacture, UK's Solar FIT's slashed, with domestic job losses as a potential consequence, UK's solar industry doesn't seem to have much to celebrate at the moment.
Our December Forum: UK Solar fights for survival
An open discussion on what UK solar investors, developers, financiers, suppliers and users need to move forward over the next months, years and beyond.
Confirmed panelists include:
* Jeremy Leggett Chairman at Solar Century
* Alasdair Grainger Office of International Energy at DECC
* Sue Milton Senior Director for Power Structured Finance at RBS - Royal Bank of Scotland
* Paul McCartie Finance Director at Lightsource Renewable Energy
Moderated by Lucille deSilva Solar Energy Partner at SNR Denton
The panel session and Q&A will address topics such as:
* What is likely to be the impact of the latest FIT (Feed-In Tariff) review and introduction of the RHI (Renewable heat Incentive) on deployment and investment?
* What could be the impact of the Renewable Obligation Banding Review consultation on the solar industry as a whole? Have the Government got the changes right?
* What more could Government be doing to incentivise private sector investment and accelerate non-domestic solar industry in the UK?
* What could UK solar as an industry be doing to garner greater Government support?
Has the rug been pulled out from under commercial-sector solar in the UK? With new evidence that cuts to solar subsidies are leading to layoffs, two Government Committees are now opening inquiries into Government support for the industry. It looks like employers are not only revising their employment growth plans, but are actually set to cut employment in the emerging small scale solar sector. A survey of 140 companies (4,055 workers) found that half (56%) would cut their workforce if the cuts to the feed in tariff went ahead as planned.
Projects in the social housing sector could be especially hard hit, with over 31,000 installations cancelled and only 1,441 proceeding. The tariff changes will take place on 12 December, 11 days before the end of the current DECC consultation. This has even led to a serious threat of legal action by environmental NGOs if the Government sticks to this plan.
Given such a chilling business environment, what is the potential for UK solar industry and investment going forward?
Green in the City forum and executive networking evening
