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Solarcentury quits BPVA over Feed-in Tariff

Solarcentury has quit the British Photovoltaic Association in a row over its support for the government’s appeal bid on the Feed-in Tariff cuts.

In a statement, Solarcentury said the decision was made after the BPVA attempted to intervene on the side of the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the Court of Appeal.

Derry Newman, ceo, Solarcentury said: “We cannot understand how a trade body claiming to represent the best interests of the UK PV industry could have arrived at such a position, nor why the BPVA is supporting the right of the department to make retrospective changes to the feed-in tariff at any time, thus jeopardising all future investor interest in PV and other FiT technologies.

“Of all trade bodies in this sector, the BPVA alone has allowed itself to be used in a classic government ‘divide and rule’ manoeuvre.

“By contrast, other trade bodies including the Solar Trade Association and Renewable Energy Association have recognised what is at stake in this case and in particular, the disastrous long-term implications of DECC getting their way.”

A spokeswoman for the BPVA said a statement would be issued on Friday