Solar Power - A Partial Eclipse?

There's an old saying "all that glitters is not gold". Will this be the epitaph for large scale solar farms? The government has recently announced a fast track review of solar feed in tariffs above 50KW.

Few landowners will not have been aware of the large numbers of solar firms cold calling farms looking for suitable sites for solar parks and offering various rents from £500 to (allegedly) £4000 / acre / annum for 25 years. The "gold rush" as its been referred to has obviously been fuelled by the attractive feed in tariffs available which has been sucking in investors looking for a decent return on their money.

The concept of the incentives to create renewable energy can't be argued with but this is an example of a government trying to manipulate a market and (from their perspective) getting it wrong. Lets hope the review doesn't destroy what has the makings of an important industry in the South West with many of 00’s of jobs potentially being created. The thousands of small installations being supported are to be applauded and these must continue to be encouraged. The balance between excessive subsidy and one that stimulates effectively will be a difficult one for the review to gauge but I do believe that the 50kw figure is on the low side, 100kw could be sited on a large roof! Lets not throw the baby out with the bath water!

New Business Starts to Recharge the Economy

With a slow economy and reducing public expenditure, job losses are likely to figure on many news bulletins over the next couple of years. In Okehampton, over 11% of jobs have been lost with the failure of food producer Polestar and the imminent closure of the Wiseman milk plant. This is a major shock to the area and will impact well beyond the initial job losses.

What help can BIP offer to those affected? For existing businesses we have a support project that can offer business advice and training, both aimed at improving the business performance. Often a small change can bring big benefits to the bottom line.

We are already seeing an increase in people contemplating starting their own business as jobs become harder to find. Certainly the government have acknowledged that it’s the private sector and small business that will lead the re-balancing of the economy. To help people decide if self employment is for them and to assist them in developing their business plans, marketing plans and financial forecasts BIP have put together a series of practical workshops - Steps to a Successful Business Start Up.

Take a look at the full content on www.bipwestdevon.biz .