Latest Solar Energy News from Aqua Solar Energy.

  • 26th Jan

    Solar installations before March may still get 43p per kw!

    The Government, yesterday, lost its appeal against a ruling blocking its attempts to half the Solar Feed In Tariff.

    Just to recap; the Department of Energy and Climate Change were totally behind the installation of Solar PV panels on domestic householders homes and to encourage take up of this incredible technology enabling customers to generate their own electricity from the sun, they introduced the Feed In Tariff.  This meant householders were paid 43p per kilowatt for every kilowatt they generated, with an additional 3p per kilowatt being paid for every unused kilowatt which was then fed back into the national grid.

    In the last quarter of 2011 the Government realised that because the take up of Solar PV was far greater than they had anticipated, there might not be available budget to pay back at the rate they promised.  This resulted in them announcing a cut in the Feed In Tariff to 21p per kilowatt, effective from 12th December 2011, throwing the entire industry into chaos, with planned and quoted for installations being brought forward before the cut off date so customers would benefit from the better Tariff.

    Friends of the Earth and major UK Solar companies, HomeSun and Solar Century argued that this move was ‘legally flawed’, being 11 days shy of the end of the actual review period, the High Court accepted this ruling, however the Government appealed,  this has now resulted in them putting forward a contingency plan for the current tariff of 43p to remain until the beginning of March when it will reduce to 21p.  This is now to be appealed in the UK Supreme Court, so householders installing their Solar PV before March 2nd will definitely be paid 21p per kilowatt, but until the ruling has been agreed they could still be paid 43p per kilowatt.

    Whatever the outcome, the disruption to the industry has been great and confusion for customers immense.   Reassurance surely must come from the fact that the Solar PV technology is still superb and householders can still benefit from reduced energy bills by having Solar generating their electricity from the sun, and being paid via the Feed In Tariff at a most likely rate of 21p per kilowatt, but a possibility of still obtaining 43p per kilowatt, we must await the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling for a final decision.   I am still glad to say that the Solar PV panels on my roof will cover at least 80% of my electricity bills for the next 25 years, and that’s at the lower rate!