Solar energy and the Feed-In Tariff - your opinions

And that have a massive upfront cost and more importantly does not kick start competition. It encourages price fixing of panels why reduce costs when the governments paying for it. It also does not insure people fit the inverters and actually export unused energy.

Do you not understand cash flow? It's why projects are listed over years usually decades. To spread the cost.
 
Don't forget that the vast majority of the cost is the installation fee (for private, not sure how this compares with what you're saying ^).

The panels themselves are cheap and getting cheaper. Grid parity expected in < 3 years due to surging production in China, I read in the economist a few months ago.

Cheap solar panels are going to be absolutely everywhere I think.
 
ron3003 said:
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/new...source=Business Green Weekly&utm_medium=Email

£128m paid out since FIT's introduction 2 years ago or to simplify it £1 per year per head of the UK population. Excessive?
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So if we extrapolate that sum and look at just the short term, say just 10-12 years? That's approaching £1b pounds (just as it stands now).

If that money had just been used to even 100% pay for installations and nothing else, that would be 100,000 installations.


But the the current scheme, even after 10years, and £1b, we're still not done, let's throw another £1.5b down after it for no further gain.
 
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Glaucus said:
Do you not understand cash flow? It's why projects are listed over years usually decades. To spread the cost.
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Yes, and I also understand in effect paying approaching credit card rates of APR is daft.

I think they realised they'd set the FIT too high and hence the scramble to lower it.
 
Had my two installed a year today. Just given the readings to British Gas:

House 1, South East Facing: 3445 Units
House 2, South Facing: 3765 Units

Total return £3377.91

Paid £22,200 so 15.22% return and estimated payback 6.57 years.

These figures exclude any reduction on the electricity bills.

Not bad to say the weather has been rubbish for most of the year.
 
Pretty bang on with what all the reports say. You need a 4.5-5.5kwp to get 5000kwh which is the average uk house consumption.

It's a shame 3.84kwp has become the "standard"
 
Yeah, very pleased. They said House 1 was 91% efficient and House 2 was 118% compared to their figures.
 
Spit said:
Had my two installed a year today. Just given the readings to British Gas:

House 1, South East Facing: 3445 Units
House 2, South Facing: 3765 Units

Total return £3377.91

Paid £22,200 so 15.22% return and estimated payback 6.57 years.

These figures exclude any reduction on the electricity bills.

Not bad to say the weather has been rubbish for most of the year.
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Yep, as discussed before, the scheme is bonkers... Just going by your figures then, that equates to (ignoring reduced electricty uses) over £60k (basically guarenteed) other energy users will have to depositing into your bank account as profit.

I'm sure these energy users will slowly and surely become utterly thrilled as they realise the tariff slowly sneaked onto their bills to pay for this ill-thoughtout scheme...
 
NeilFawcett said:
Yep, as discussed before, the scheme is bonkers... Just going by your figures then, that equates to (ignoring reduced electricty uses) over £60k (basically guarenteed) other energy users will have to depositing into your bank account as profit.

I'm sure these energy users will slowly and surely become utterly thrilled as they realise the tariff slowly sneaked onto their bills to pay for this ill-thoughtout scheme...
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Good isn't it.

The reality however is the impact the FIT tariff has on overall energy prices is negligible and the scheme is simply part of the overall statutory financial commitment that energy companies have to renewable energy investment, so everyone would have been paying for it one way or another anyway.
 
I agree it is negligible but I don't like the principle that pre-pay customers who are typically pretty poor are funding a free money scheme for the well off. Particularly when the electricity produced is no use to grid load control.
 
PlacidCasual said:
I agree it is negligible but I don't like the principle that pre-pay customers who are typically pretty poor are funding a free money scheme for the well off. Particularly when the electricity produced is no use to grid load control.
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I would be more concerned that the poor are being charged premiums over those of better off customers of all stripes for using prepay and key meters and not being eligible for the lowest tariffs simply because they do not have access to or the ability to use Direct Debit or Quarterly billing, rather than the effect solar FIT tariffs have on them.

Your concern seems rather misplaced if it motivated by giving the poor access to cheaper energy because the limited FIT tariffs (which are now far less profitable) really are not the problem.
 
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I have also saved approximately 30-40% on my electricity bill. I work from home so I make sure that the washer, dishwasher, dryer are all used in the morning when the light is best. All my lighting is energy saving now to help on an evening.
 
Anyone know if I move house can the new owner inherit the feed in tariff that I currently receive? We own the installation and receive the good rate from 2011. Might have to move house with my job and it could be a good selling feature if they can.
 
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