Energy Minister Fergus Ewing is concerned about the UK's cut in the solar power tariffs

Dec 2, 2011 12:59 GMT  ·  By
Wind, wave and tide generate more than 80% of Scotland's renewable energy potential
   Wind, wave and tide generate more than 80% of Scotland's renewable energy potential

The Scottish government wants to make sure local communities will be able to experience the benefits of renewable energy while receiving the fair price from developing companies. In order to offer this chance to its residents, the authorities announced a new public register would start being implemented next year.

This innovative project implies that local communities could negotiate the price of projects focusing on the exploitation of alternative sources of energy, comparing the numbers with previous offers, Business Green reports.

At this point in time, major companies put community benefits on the table when they start engaging efforts in a program aiming to provide clean, green power. This action can back a wide range of other projects, from energy usage improvements to playgrounds.

This path isn't completely new, since RenewableUK already stipulated £1,000 (€1,163/ $1,569) have to be paid every year for every MW of wind power, until the life of a wind farm ends.

The new governmental register will guarantee that communities will be reasonably rewarded by eco-conscious companies. It appears that Scotland is keen on improving its eco-conscious attitude, since its administration plans to encourage the development of small wind-based facilities on farms meant to give a boost to local people, through reasonable benefits.

This sounds like a great idea highlighting a win-win situation, both for residents and for those companies operating in the field of renewables. Every community will make the best of clean power sources while attracting a significant financial support for different other projects.

During the ScottishRenewables Green Energy Awards, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing manifested his concerns regarding the UK's position towards wind and solar power.

He fears that the current governmental policies will diminish the number of followers and the popularity of the entire market of renewables. The feared changes applied to feed-in tariffs for solar power could drag the market down, instead of helping it become more mature and reliable.

The overall uncertainty surrounding the feed-in tariffs already made a few companies abandon their initial plans. In an attempt to restore the balance of the solar power industry, Ewing said he intends to meet major players in this line of business and talk about future challenges.

"The growing market for microgeneration is allowing more and more households, communities and businesses to generate their own energy, so I am very concerned at the damage being done by the UK government's rushed cut in the tariff for solar energy," concluded Ewing.