We have now fixed a date for a mass lobby of Parliament on Tuesday 22^nd November.  It will begin at 2.30pm, and continue through the afternoon until around 5.30pm.  Please get the date in your diary.

This is an opportunity for people across the industry – as well as from environmental groups and other supporters – to meet their MP and protest about the savage cuts to support for solar.  The more people who turn up, the more MPs will get lobbied – and the more our message will be heard.  So please book this day now and encourage anyone else you can to come to London with you.

For those who have never been on a mass lobby before, they are a long established tradition to put pressure on MPs. Technically you are entitled to go and lobby your MP in the House of Commons whenever Parliament is sitting.  You ask to go to the rather grand Central Lobby, and fill in a form known as a “green card” summoning your MP to see you.  A mass lobby simply makes sure this is much more noticeable by all doing it on the same afternoon.

We will be putting much more detail on what you need to do nearer the time at the websitehere.

Charles Hendry MP vs Jeremy Leggett in East Sussex

Forest Row in East Sussex has a “Home Energy Saving Fair” tomorrow which begins at 11am with a discussion between Energy Minister Charles Hendry MP and Solar Century founder Jeremy Leggett.  Given all that has happened this week, it should be an interesting discussion.

If you can get there, it would be a great chance to put questions to Mr Hendry.

More details here.

Greg Barker MP lobbied in Bexhill

Around 20 local solar employees and members of environmental groups demonstrated outside a Greg Barker’s constituency surgery earlier on Friday afternoon.  Two members of the group were able to meet Mt Barker and delivered a statement from the much wider group outside, asking him to attend a public meeting to hear the concerns from those across his constituency.

Latest news and media coverage

In an interview on the Business Green website, Alan Simspon calls the changes “economically illiterate and ethically fraudulent”.  Alan Simpson is the former MP who led the Parliamentary campaign for Feed-in Tariffs, and is now helping this campaign to stop them being trashed.

Also on Business Green, Seb Berry of Solar Century points out where Greg Barker misled Parliament over solar FITs, and editor James Murray tries to figure out the real reason for the cuts.

In the news today Business and Leadership have covered the cuts to the FIT and the industry’s reaction with reference to the Cut Don’t Kill campaign.

In The Guardian letters this morning Cllr Joel Goldberg of the Haringey, Jon Abbatt of ADAS UK and Dr Brenda Boardman of Oxford University have written in response to the cuts in the tariff.

In a report on Solar Buzz this morning, urgent action is needed to put the solar industry on a steadier, clearer and sustainable growth path, avoid boom and bust and protect the wider Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs).

The FT Money Show this week featured a segment on solar power and the impact of FIT cuts for consumers, investors and solar businesses. Money journalist at the FT, Elaine Moore, argued that the turnover time for the changes were too quick and that a 50% cut would dramatically decrease the incentive for consumers to install panels on their home.

Plans to install solar panels on 40 schools in Reading have been thrown into chaos following the Government’s announcement to slash the FiT by 12.12 according to the BBC.

More support needed

We still need more support to defend the solar industry from these cuts – both in terms of action, and in terms of money to fund this campaign.

To help you take action, we have prepared an action pack, which is available here. It will help you to lobby your MP, get stories into your local papers and radio stations, ask your customers to lobby on our behalf.  You can also download banners to put on your website, or in your emails to help more supporters find us.

And if you can support the efforts of this campaign financially, please let us know at info@oursolarfuture.org.uk