Following the solar industry’s landmark victory against the Government today, a short term gold rush is set to begin, according to the director of a renewable energy company.

David Hunt, at Eco Environments said: “This is an almighty kick in the teeth for the Government, but a fantastic result for consumers who have either gone ahead with an installation since December 12 or are keen to do so now.

“The phones have already started ringing with homeowners keen to cash in on this mini gold rush. Consumers can now achieve breath-taking returns on investment.”

A Court of Appeal ruling today means that any Solar PV installations installed and registered between December 12 of last year and March 3 this year will receive the higher feed-in tariff rate of 43.3p for up to the next 25 years. Customers who register on or after March 3 will qualify for the higher rate until April 1 when it will drop to 21p.