With one hand, Whitehall is taking away subsidies from the renewable energy industry. With the other, they are doling out a new £75 million government and industry grant to the electric car market. This handout includes £6 million for specialist car manufacturer Morgan to develop a “hybrid and electric powertrain” for a new sports car. ‘Austerity’ means subsidies for supercars…

The investment isn’t only for flash motors. The funding will also go towards developing eco-friendly white vans. At least that will keep the Shadow Defence Secretary happy…

The Indy have published some analysis on the fate of the UK’s renewable energy industry following the announcement of cuts to subsidy junkies. The research predicts that despite 2015 being a record year for renewable energy production, the industry is set to “fall off a cliff” as a result of withdrawn subsidies. This trend will continue until after 2020, when “the new renewables infrastructure will collapse to almost nothing because of a lack of investment”.

So it’s not the best time for the International Renewable Energy Agency to publish a report boasting that a global 36% renewable energy share is in reach, and will provide half the reduction in emissions required to hit the Paris summit targets. This is the renewable industry’s problem summed up. It needs shed-loads of taxpayer cash to survive, and when the subsidies are taken away it goes to the wall…