Is The July Feed-in Tariff Deadline to be Changed?

DECC Ministers Greg Barker and Ed Davey suggest there will be a "tweak" to July 1st FIT deadline

domestic solar system

17 May 2012

The government have today indicated that there will be a change to the previously expected July 1st feed-in tariff deadline. They have not yet elaborated as to when we can expect to know what form this change will take.

This confusion began yesterday (Wednesday 16th May) when the Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker MP tweeted that: "Having listened carefully to industry, we are looking at scope for pushing back a little the next proposed reduction in the #solar tariffs".

Ministers from the Department of Energy and Climate Change took part in oral questions in the commons this morning and the Energy Secretary Ed Davey was unable to clarify further whether there would be a date change for the next scheduled degression in the tariff rates, though he did admit that a "tweak" rather than a wholesale change was being considered by the department.

Criticism has followed from the solar industry and members of the opposition as this only adds uncertainty and confusion for companies and customers alike, drawing comparisons to previous instances of mishandling cuts to the feed-in tariff from October 2011 to March 2012 that resulted in a protracted court case that the government eventually lost at great taxpayer expense.

Our MD Howard Johns had this to say to E2B Pulse: “In reality, Greg Barker had little choice but to announce a delay to the cuts hurriedly on Twitter last night - the legal deadline to implement them on 1 July expired on Monday.

“But it doesn’t matter how we’ve got here – what’s important now is that the government does what’s right for the long term future of solar energy. For months the Cut Don’t Kill campaign has been warning that the government is cutting too far and too fast in the solar sector. Any further cuts to solar tariffs should not take place until at least October.”

Our Solar Future and the Solar Trade Association have both urged the government not to cut the feed-in tariff again until October to allow businesses to recover from the initial round of cuts. The tariff is currently set at 21p/kWh and sales appear to be on the rise after a disasterous April that saw less than one domestic solar installation per UK solar company.

Ed Davey did confirm that DECC would be responding to the consultation on future deadlines, "very shortly".

"'Solar Is Most-Installed Power Source", EPIA

Subsidies drive record investment in solar power

solar electric school pv

11 May 2012

Solar energy is now the most-installed power source in Europe according to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, beating all new wind and gas-fired plants put together, at 21.9 Gigawatts.

Germany (9.3GW) and Italy (7.5GW) were the major installers in Europe last year, with the UK in comparison lagging behind having just reached 1GW in total generating capacity.

The EPIA said that if installations of solar and wind remain steady through 2012-2013 then they will account for the loss of eight German nuclear reactors, shut down in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.

Here in the UK, the Department of Energy and Climate Change have declared their ambition for solar energy capacity to reach 22GW by 2020. However, with UK feed-in tariffs due to be steadily reduced this year, industry bosses have questioned the validity of the Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker's, statements.

The EPIA acknowledged that the industry is undergoing a rather uncertain period but stated that medium to long term growth prospects looked good, although Europe's share of the growth will pale in comparison to Japan, America and China, who are showing signs of explosive future expansion in renewable energy capacity.

At the same time, consumer confidence in the UK feed-in tariff is starting to recover as Yougen's Cathy Debenham showed that payback and rates of return on solar PV panels are better now than they were during last summer when the sector was booming. As this news filters through, the industry expects a rush towards the next FIT degression date on 1st July.

Renewable Heat Premium Payment Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme (RHPP) Launches

01 May 2012

Solar evacuated tubes fitted to a residential roof for hot water heating

Tuesday 1st May 2012 saw the launch of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme for domestic renewable heat projects launch.

The scheme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust and entitles private residents to claim a rebate on installations of solar thermal of £300 and also money back on air and ground source heat pumps and biomass boilers. The aim is to help more homeowners to make the transition to renewable heat whilst the Renewable Heat Incentive is finalised for residential applications. As things stand around half of UK carbon emissions are caused by energy used to produce heat and this must be drastically reduced by 2020 to meet EU targets.

In order to apply, customers must fill out the form on the Energy Saving Trust website with all your details. They will then send you back a voucher which you can claim back after your installation by sending it back along with copies of your MCS certificate and a receipted invoice as proof of ownership.

More about solar thermal systems

Apply for the RHPP

Brixton Community Solar goes live

UK’s first inner city community owned solar PV system is switched on today by Repowering South London and Southern Solar

Friday 30th March

Brixton Solar

Brixton Energy Solar 1, the first inner city solar power project, will go live today on the roof of the Loughborough Estate in Brixton, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the pioneering community group, Repowering South London. It will be 100% community owned, giving local investors a share of the profits, with the remaining money generated going to reduce the carbon footprint of Brixton through a Community Energy Efficiency Fund, right across its 25 year life span.

Founding member and director of Brixton Energy, Agamemnon Otero, said “It’s great to see the ‘Solar 1’ project go live, following so much local support, we’re hoping it will be a template and pioneering community project to inspire other urban initiatives across the capital. We want ‘Solar 1’ to help people recognise how beneficial owning their own energy can be”.

Funding for the 37 kWp solar PV array was raised through a community share issue and those that invested will see a financial return, with a portion going to a Community Energy Efficiency Fund for the community. Through the scheme, investors were able to buy a stake for a minimum of £250 or maximum of £20,000 and the total raised was achieved in only 3 weeks from people living both on the Estate and in the local Brixton area. Investors will be guaranteed an annual return of up to 3% through the feed-in tariff scheme.

Part of the income generated through the ‘Brixton Solar 1’ Feed-In-Tariff will be reinvested in the Community Energy Efficiency Fund. This Fund will support energy-saving improvements, education and re-skilling in the local area, on specifics such as draught proofing, insulation and energy efficiency. It is by offering additional education around energy conservation that real change in understanding and behaviour patterns around energy usage begins to happen.

The solar PV system was designed and installed by Southern solar. The Brixton Energy Solar 1 initiative is the third community owned PV system that local solar installation specialists, Southern Solar, have been involved in – others include the ground-breaking first – OVESCO in Lewes, and Halo Energy in Herefordshire.

For further coverage of the installation going live:

http://brixtonenergy.co.uk/

Business Green

Social housing solar developers prepare for latest cut to feed-in tariff

BBC London Radio

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00pydm2/The_Breakfast_Show_with_Gaby_Roslin_and_Paul_Ross_High_Streets_womens_safety_and_politics/

ITV News

Brixton estate gets solar power

What Is An EPC And Why Do I Need One?

New feed-in tariff rules require level 'D' Energy Performance Certificates

20 March 2012

From April, customers installing solar PV will be required to produce an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of a minimum of level D in order to claim the full feed-in tariff rate of 21p/kWh. Those who do not supply this as part of their FIT application will receive a lower tariff (9p/kWh) for the full duration of the tariff lifetime.

energy performance rating graphic example An EPC is an energy efficiency assessment of your home; all properties require one when they are built, sold or rented. Like appliances, they are rated from A to G with 'A' being the highest level of efficiency. They contain information about the current performance of your property and give you a rank based on this. They also make recommendations about measures you could introduce to make your home more efficient, reduce your carbon emissions and boost your rating. D is the average rating for houses in the UK; it is estimated that around 50% of houses are below this level.

To get a mock EPC, you can go to the Energy Saving Trust website and do their home energy check.

In the main, your EPC rating will be based on a few key factors:

When your property was built.
Whether the property is insulated and to what degree.
How modern the heating system is and what fuel is used.
The property's ventilation characteristics.

Getting an EPC

We will give you an indication of your likely rating based on information you give us about your property. However, we won't be able to tell you officially without actually having an EPC done by a trained assessor. Doing this generally costs in the region of £40-£80 and it's worth going with a trusted assessor that will take the time to thoroughly survey your home and take everything into account.

This is something we will help you with, as ever since the consultation response on the 9th of February, we've been busy steadily building up a network of trusted assessors so that you don't have to worry about sorting this out yourself.

During the assessment you can make it easier for your assessor by telling him about any measures you have installed. If you have had cavity insulation it's not always easy to see without knowing it's there and it could mean you get a lower rating than you deserve.

It is also worth noting that, in some cases, installing a solar PV or solar thermal system will boost your rate enough to raise your EPC level to a D. We will let you know if this is the case for your property.

In order to get an idea of your EPC rating and book a solar survey, call your local office now. We'll make the process easy.