Good riddance, though still not enough

I expect there were screams of anguish from the Green Luddites who seem to infest the corridors of power via various lobbying groups when Huhne the buffoon finally came out with a written statement about the solar tariffs being cut from April for all new installations fitted after march 30th. This is because the tariff subsidy has been proven to have been far too generous to those who chose to install them.
Telegraph.

Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, said in a written statement that the tariff paid to customers who generate their own electricity will be cut from April 1 for all installations completed on or after March 3.
If the Government wins its appeal, however, the current December 12 cut-off date will stand. "We continue to stand by our original proposal," Mr Huhne said. "However, I know that the uncertainty while we await the court's decision is difficult for the industry.
"If the court finds in favour of the Government's appeal, we intend to stand by all our consultation proposals, including an earlier reference date, subject to the Parliamentary procedure and consideration of consultation responses."
Friends of the Earth and two solar panel installers, Solarcentury and HomeSun, took the Government to court over its decision to halve the amount home owners with newly installed panels will receive for every kilowatt hour generated. The total per unit will fall from 43.3p to 21p per kilowatt hour, but the 'export' tariff of 3.1p for energy sold on to the National Grid will not change.
However, the environmental charity and the industry protested that the Government had not given enough notice for the change, which was implemented before the consultation period even ended. Thousands of customers who had already signed contracts missed the deadline, meaning that they will receive less for the electricity that they generate.

Whilst I do feel a smidgen of sympathy for those who rushed to cash in on this ludicrous scheme, anyone trusting the government to keep its word deserves everything they get. The only way the panels could pay for themselves in their lifetime was only if they were massively subsidised by the taxpayer, this is assuming (and it's a big assumption) that they maintain their power output for their 25 year life, as any engineer or even a weatherman could tell you this is highly unlikely. Frost, Sahara dust, snow, bird poo, traffic pollution will all take their toll over the years and reduce the original output by up to 25% at least possibly more depending on their location, after all if they are on your roof, you can't wipe them clean. This was also on top of their poor output in English conditions, so that the only way they could pay was if everyone else via taxation made them economically viable. Which is why in these hard times, the government has reluctantly stepped in to cut the tariff in half, which is a shame really as I'd have just gotten rid of it entirely, same for the bird mincers. Most of the energy budget as far as I can see should go to conventional power generation (as in reliable) and if you wanted to go carbon free then you go nuclear, as it is I'd have put all the money into shale gas extraction which is cheaper and would leave us with a good century or two to come up with something better.
As it is, the government in its pathetic attempts to be green has ripped off the taxpayer (again) and even now refuses to accept that green power generation is nothing more than a massive con designed to wreck the West's economy and turn us into an economic basket case and back to a middle ages economy with a technocratic elite in charge.
Btw, when is someone actually going to charge Huhne over his driving offence?