Government to fight solar ruling

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne wants to reduce feed-in tariff subsidies (FITs) – payments made to homes and communities that generate electricity with solar panels – on any installations completed after December 12 last year.

Last month a judge ruled the proposal unlawful.

The ruling was a victory for environmentalists and two solar companies – Solarcentury and HomeSun – who said the plans to halve subsidies were creating “huge economic uncertainty”.

Yesterday a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) made it clear the legal battle was not over.

The spokesman said: “We have lodged grounds of appeal with the Court of Appeal.”