The link is to this exchange in Hansard:
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley) (LD): The Government seem to have rejected the idea of the feed-in tariff for the UK, but in Germany it has massively increased the amount of renewables. Will the Government at least stop lobbying within the EU to stop feed-in tariffs?
Mr. Hutton: The renewables obligation is a genuine market mechanism and that is why it has been successful. It has overseen a rapid increase in renewable energy in the UK and we should stick with what works. The feed-in tariff in Germany has undoubtedly incentivised microgeneration in particular, but a significant extra cost has been borne by consumers as a result.
The feed in tariff in Germany has been the main driver for their increse in renewables. This is in essence our government admitting that they are lobbying within the EU against the feed in tariff - something I had been told
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley) (LD): The Government seem to have rejected the idea of the feed-in tariff for the UK, but in Germany it has massively increased the amount of renewables. Will the Government at least stop lobbying within the EU to stop feed-in tariffs?
Mr. Hutton: The renewables obligation is a genuine market mechanism and that is why it has been successful. It has overseen a rapid increase in renewable energy in the UK and we should stick with what works. The feed-in tariff in Germany has undoubtedly incentivised microgeneration in particular, but a significant extra cost has been borne by consumers as a result.
The feed in tariff in Germany has been the main driver for their increse in renewables. This is in essence our government admitting that they are lobbying within the EU against the feed in tariff - something I had been told
Comments
We should be fighting to include the costs of pollution in the prices and let the market discovery process work to find the best balance of energy production.
It is wrong for the government to favour any source of energy production. Look at the damage being done by targets for biofuels - condemning people in developing countries to starvation because some politicians and bureaucrats have decided to 'do something'.