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<p>The Government has no plans to change the 20 year duration of support under the
Renewables Obligation (RO) for accredited solar PV stations. DECC has recently consulted
on proposals to control the deployment of new solar PV capacity above 5MW under the
RO. A copy of the consultation document is available on DECC’s web page:</p><p><a
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv</a></p><p>With
regard to our policy on the RO scheme, DECC has laid draft Regulations before Parliament
which will bring about the closure of the RO to new capacity on 31 March 2017 as planned,
subject to Parliamentary approval. The Government has proposed closing the RO to new
solar capacity above 5MW two years earlier, from 31 March 2015. We consider this to
be necessary because large-scale solar PV is deploying more rapidly than expected.
This poses a substantial risk to our ability to manage the levy control framework
budget, and therefore our ability to minimise costs of renewables deployment for consumers.
The consultation closed on 7 July and consultation responses are being considered.
We will publish a Government Response setting out our decision as soon as possible.</p><p>The
UK has seen a remarkable transformation in solar PV deployment under the Coalition
Government: solar capacity stood at 3.5GW at the end of the first quarter of 2014,
increasing its share to 17 per cent of all renewables capacity. The Government remains
committed to solar PV, and the measures that we set out in our UK Solar PV Strategy
will ensure that solar PV continues to be a vital part of the UK’s renewable energy
mix for many years to come. A copy of the Strategy is available on DECC’s web page:</p><p><a
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-solar-pv-strategy-part-1-roadmap-to-a-brighter-future"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-solar-pv-strategy-part-1-roadmap-to-a-brighter-future</a>.</p>
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