Green energy sector attacks chancellor's changes to climate change levy

Greenpeace accuses George Osborne's budget of taxing clean-power schemes as if they were fossil fuel producers

George Osborne has infuriated green energy producers and campaigners with a 910m-a-year raid on the renewable energy sector by changing a climate change levy (CCL) at the same time as providing more fiscal help for North Sea oilfields.

RenewableUK, the lobby group, said the changes would cost green energy producers around 450m in the current financial year, and up to 1bn by 2020-2021.