A letter to my MP

[SolarCity]

Having spent yesterday evening and much of this morning marching around the office in an incandescent rage, I have decided to write to my MP once again.

After receiving a largely generic reply to my last email, I intend to focus much of this letter on some of the things that Greg Barker has been saying - the inconsistencies and flat out lies.

From frequently using mid-November figures to justify his pre-November announcement to his nonsensical 70% cuts in panel price bull.

Any other suggestions where you have noticed discrepancies in his figures etc. would be greatly appreciated.

His latest crap is the 300% month on month increase in installations between June and September.

A man that I greatly admired once said "If you find yourself relying on false information to justify your viewpoint, you've lost far more than the argument."

 

[TedM]

I blogged about his 300% nonsense yesterday - Barker misleads again » Caer Delyn Blog

I would still like to see him brought to book over his claim that the leaked EST document, that started all this last October, was "inaccurate". That was also a plain lie.

 

[SolarCity]

Good point. I'll add that.

 

[MorganPVI]

Will you post the text Biggs? I'll edit and send to my Corporate loving Tory MP

I have little hope she will even read it, she is determined to brown nose her way to the cabinet

 

[Markc]

Having spent yesterday evening and much of this morning marching around the office in an incandescent rage, I have decided to write to my MP once again.

Got some ink to waste?

After seeing how my own MP voted on 31st and telling me how he sees PV being a great UK industry to only vote for the cuts and EPC I think I would be better of writing to my 4 year old to get her opinion. At least I'd get a crayon picture back!

We feel we must do something and I admire that and all the very best to you. 100%. But my feelings now are the legal challenge has had the exact opposite effect it was intended to. It has only aided in even more uncertainty, stress and panic buying. I was one who was in support of the challenge in the beginning but now I wish it was never started. At least we would all now be installing at 21p and making money out of it. Now I can't get gear nor can give any of my clients and certainty to the rate other than to say base it on 21p. I will leave the Nationals to advertise the so called guaranteed 43p rate and wait for REAL to catch up with them (Yer right!)

This entire industry has turned out to be the thing they said they didn't want. Run by big fish in a small pond, misleading people and coming out the other side as the savoir! And I'm not convinced it is going to be any better in the year to come either.

I see my days working in a government ruled industry being very limited and unless April brings a change of policy (Which I see as very unlikely) the EPC and possible lower rate (Below 21p) I can't see much profit in PV in the UK. I truly hope things will change and make PV worth doing as I do enjoy it and proud to offer it. It is a pity my moral is at a lifetime low currently.

 

[SolarCity]

I'll certainly post the text up so you can take a read/use it yourselves.

I want answers to why Barker is lying to us. Direct answers to direct questions. And If I don't get them I will bloody well tell my MP next time that she knocks on my door exactly what I think of her.

I don't think you're right to blame the legal challenge for the uncertainty in the market. The announcement at the end of October was beyond reckless and the legal challenge was a reasonable and rational response to it. The court case was won and it is simply the dithering of the judges and the delaying tactics of the DECC which are causing this uncertainty.

The rhetoric from Barker and co. is getting more aggressive towards Solar PV and this is worrying. When the 21p was first introduced, the talk was solidly behind solar PV and prolonging the scheme. Now there are threats of shutting down the scheme altogether, blaming Milliband for the system and harping on about tidal and wind energy. The fact is, I don't think the DECC support PV as a viable industry - probably because it takes power production of the hands of the big 6.

If these people don't support solar then they should come and say so. At least then I will know not to invest any more of my precious time in an industry built on quicksand.

 

[MorganPVI]

Well said Biggs, I think we all feel the same way. Shafted by Gregory on the orders of the Big Six / Private interests.

 

[SolarCity]

Things I intend to mention so far:

Barkers Tweet "Not final nor accurate"
1,000 - 10,000 additional jobs claim by Barker
300% month on month crap
Fudged figures from start to finish
Blaming the mess on Labour - Barker has been in charge since May 2010
Huhne claiming that the flawed FITs system didn't allow for changes - it did. And they had already acted to change >50kWp
The "If we cut to 21p then twice as many people can have it installed as if we left it at 43.3p" claim. Utterly flawed logic. Easily demonstrated by asking why we don't cut to 10p and have four times as many people.

Also, I want to ask why Huhne and Barker repeatedly talk about "saving the consumer money". Green energy is not about saving money, it's about cutting CO2 emmissions. The spike in installs since the cut announcement was not the disaster that it has been made out to be (if you ignore the utterly avoidable stress that we all suffered). It should be considered an excellent boost towards becoming a greener country. The boom in the industry has also provided the treasury with a welcome bonus and kept 30,000 out of the dole queue. The solution? 30p FITs and a LARGE increase in the FITs budget.

 

[SRE]

What about adding the purely economical benefit of 25k supply chain in work compared to benefit costs
The cost of pv now is a drop in the ocean compared to energy costs as a result of peak oil in a few short years time

Are you planning to copy George Osborne in to your letter? If it's the economic argument about budgets then he plays a part for the tiny government contribution.

 

[TedM]

Saving the consumer money should be more focused on reducing/removing our dependence on imported fossil fuels. That will make a far bigger difference in the long term.

 

[MorganPVI]

Sorry to drift off topic - World peak oil was in 2004.

Oil will be sitting at $200/bl in 6-9 months more if Iran is invaded or plays silly beggers with Hormz. Expect supply/demand shortages no later than 18 months time when oil will hit $300/bl

The major problem is the easy oil has gone and the energy of cost of extraction per barrel is currently 1 barrel in 17 out, prevouisly it was 1 - 100

If you have a spare hour Chris Martenson's presentation at the Gold & Silver Meeting in Madrid - YouTube I strongly advise watching it from the start as he details some very interesting facts about exponenial growth and the effects on the marketplace. I'd follow on with the video "the most important video you'll ever see" located in the sidebar of you tube.