Feed-in Tariffs subsidy to be cut by more than half

Looks like the out-break of PV panels scaling up the roofs of my neighbours houses may be facing a hurdle to further progress. As reported late last week in the Guardian ‘the [subsidy] rate will be reduced from 43.3p per kilowatt hour of solar electricity to just 21p’. This information was contained in a PDF file on the Energy Saving Trust website that seems to have been leaked published prematurely and was removed shortly after publication.

The current subsidy rates will last until at least the 8th of December – so if you’re thinking of getting panels installed, the time for dithering is over…

I’m in two minds about FITs – on one hand PV is a technology I admire, fully support and would like to be able to afford to implement, on the other hand the subsidy scheme and specifically the companies milking it are abhorrent to me. There must be a better way to encourage the take-up of PV? – Perhaps, a subsidy on the panels themselves paid to British manufacturers followed by fixed, fairly price installation?

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that from the 12th of December the rate will be cut to 21p. There’s an informative article (and readable discussion) on the Guardian website.