A LEADING academic has said the Government's decision to cut solar subsidies will only be "a blip" for the sector in the longer term.

Sheffield Solar Farm founder Dr Alastair Buckley is gearing up to appear at Durham’s Solar Flair conference later this month, an event which is sure to be clouded by the move to slice subsidies after December 12.

Ministers estimated this week that the decision had already cost the North East more than £6m in jobs and investment, and Durham county councillor for housing Clive Robson called the cuts “devastating”.

The subsidy currently stands at 43.3p per kWh of electricity generated, but will drop next month to 21p.

Dr Buckley has been collecting data on solar panels around the country as part of his research at the Sheffield University-based solar farm.

He said: “Solar will be cost-competitive over the next 10 years regardless of the feed-in tariff. This policy change will be a blip in its growth. There will be growth in solar, but it will now be slightly delayed.

“The people who have installed solar panels are going to see it as a really good investment, and it’s a shame that more people won’t be able to do this.

“Installing panels is still a sensible thing to do if you have the money. The payback will come in a reduction in energy bills.

“This makes it even more important to get your installation right. If you decide to take the plunge it’s more crucial than ever to see that the panels are performing to expectations.

“At the moment, there’s some UK market in installing solar panels, but we also need to grow the market for associated technologies like battery storage for the energy generated.”