Solar Industry Objects To Paying Rates

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By Paul Homewood

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The solar industry is whingeing about rates increases due in April. This follows the latest business rates revaluation.

The whole system of business rates is highly controversial since it taxes businesses effectively on the value of their property rather than profits or turnover.

The last revaluation was pegged to 2008 values, when solar panels were still in their infancy. As a result, rate valuations either ignored or grossly undervalued the cost of panels.

Unfortunately the Valuation Office Agency has now caught up with matters, and wants to properly reflect the value of solar systems.

While this does not apply to private dwellings, it simply puts businesses on to a level playing field with other electricity generators.

Without a sense of shame, while claiming that solar power will soon become the cheapest form of generation, the Solar Trade Association say that the changes will make it uneconomic to install solar!

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March 10, 2017 at 02:24AM

German Power Sector In Massive Trauma As Electricity Giant EON Set To Post Colossal €12.4 BILLION Loss!

via NoTricksZonehttp://notrickszone.com

The ‘Energiewende’ (transition to green energies) risks leading to a complete meltdown of Germany’s power generation sector.

The latest news is that German electricity giant Eon expects to post a massive 12.4 billion euro loss for the year 2016, NTV news site writes here. Careful not to link the loss to Germany’s failing renewable energy bid, NTV blames it on Eon subsidiary Uniper and its write-downs for “spun-off nuclear power plant business” and the “strongly fallen wholesale power prices“.

Photo: Eon

Eon share prices plummeted from €7.57 a share earlier this weak to €6.98 by early Thursday morning, before clawing back up to €7.15 in Friday trading.

The figure is only a preliminary estimate, and the final figure will be released on March 15. But the Handelsblatt writes that the loss could even be higher: “It’s going to be even higher,” say those within the company.

The Handelsblatt reports that “at least 1000 jobs” are planned to be slashed by Eon in an effort to get the cost situation under control.

Massive financial trauma

Just days ago NTZ wrote here that another of Germany’s major power producers, RWE, also posted staggering losses of 5.7 billion euros.

Eon’s latest loss comes in the wake of a 7-billion euro loss the German power giant posted a year earlier, in 2015.

Once steady makers of profits and providers of solid, high-paying technical and engineering jobs, Germany’s traditional power industry has been bleeding profusely since the Energiewende (transition to renewable energies) has really took hold. Jobs have been lost by the thousands.

The German power grid used to be considered as one of the most stable worldwide, providing low-cost and reliable electricity to consumers, but has since deteriorated due to distorted market conditions and the wildly fluctuating wind and solar power that is required to be fed in.

via NoTricksZone http://notrickszone.com

March 10, 2017 at 01:02AM

Media Freaks Out Over Something The EPA Chief Has Been Saying A Long Time

via Climate Change Dispatchhttp://climatechangedispatch.com

Media outlets are feverishly reporting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s remarks that carbon dioxide is not the primary driver of global warming. Environmentalists are calling for Pruitt to resign over the comments, arguing he “misled Congress” about his beliefs in global warming. Democratic senators have chastised Pruitt for his “ignorant display.” But Pruitt’s […]

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March 10, 2017 at 12:29AM

Greenpeace flub: Tillerson recused himself on Keystone pipeline a month ago

via Climate Change Dispatchhttp://climatechangedispatch.com

Greenpeace was in a lather that Rex Tillerson would oversee the Keystone pipeline approval and wanted his recusal. The problem: he recused himself in early February. From Washington Examiner: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recused himself from having any role in the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, the State Department said Thursday. “Secretary Tillerson […]

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March 9, 2017 at 11:29PM