In terms of Solar PV installations, Europe is still the leading continent with a current installation capacity of approximately 29 GW. The report also shows that over 70% of the world’s Solar PV installations are within the European Union, making it at the forefront of the Solar PV industry.

As well as the obvious savings on electricity costs, many countries operate some form of feed-in-tariff which offers an added incentive to both households and businesses to generate their own electricity using Solar PV.  The UK feed-in-tariff currently offers a great return on investment, which is another reason as to why the UK market for Solar PV is also growing.

For full details on the PV industry and how Planet Solar can help with all your Solar PV needs, contact us today online or call us on Freephone 0800 533 5130 for further information.

Whilst the scheme is designed to help farmers in all areas of renewable energy developments, it is suggested that Solar PV will make up a vast proportion of it. With Solar PV being a cost effective solution and with the current government feed-in-tariff scheme offering a fantastic return on investment, it is easy to see why this area of renewable energy is growing fast.

The renewables market in the UK is scheduled to expand rapidly over the next decade and by the year 2020 the UK are aiming to generate at least 15% of energy using renewable sources.

For further information on the feed-in-tariff and how using Solar PV as a renewable energy source can benefit you, contact Planet Solar today.

With such a heavily dominated market, it can be confusing trying to understand the government feed-in-tariff, or energy cash-back scheme as it is also commonly known. At Planet Solar we want our customers to get the most out of their Solar PV, which is why our experienced Energy Consultants can offer a free site survey at your propoerty to advise the best Solar PV solution for you and your home.

The financial rewards for installing Solar PV are fantastic and the return on investment is exceptional. The feed-in-tariff is designed so that at present, installations completed before the end of March 2012 will receive 43.3p for every kilowatt hour their solar panels produce. This figure is not based on how much electricity you use it is based on how much electricity is generated by your Solar PV panels, which is where many people get confused.

In addtion to this, there is also an export tariff which pays 3p for every kilowatt hour that is sent back to the grid. For those homes without a smart meter, the current presumption is that 50% of electricity is sent back.

For full details on the feed-in-tariff visit our financial benefits page, or for further information on how a Solar PV installation can benefit you, visit our contact us page or call us on Freephone 0800 533 5130.

The feed-in-tariff was designed as an incentive to encourage homeowners to produce more of their own electricity. The first element offers a payment (currently 43.3p) for every kilowatt hour of electricity your solar PV panels produce. This is not paid on usage, simply on what your panels generate.

In addition to this, there is also an export tariff which currently pays 3 pence for every kilowatt hour you send back to the grid. For homes which are fitted with a Smart Meter, this figure will be based on accurate export figures. However, for homes which do not have a Smart Meter, the current presumption is that 50% of all electricity will be exported.

The government feed-in-tariff is set to change in April 2012. Whilst there are no concrete figures to show what this change will be, reports suggest that the payments made per kilowatt hour will be lower. Any homeowner installing Solar PV before March 2012 will be guaranteed the current feed-in-tariff for 25 years, which implies that domestic Solar PV installations will continue to grow throughout 2011.

If you would like to see how your home can benefit from Solar PV by Planet Solar, then please visit ourcontact us page, or call us on freephone 0800 533 5130.

Source: www.decc.gov.uk/

The UK government is committed to reducing its carbon emissions through the adoption of renewable energy sources, particularly in regards to the generation of power in order to combat climate change. The Energy Act of November 2008 set out a series of provisions in order to help the government meet its targets. The need for a feed in tariff comes from the fact that it is far more expensive to produce energy from green sources than it is from fossil fuels. This of course renders the retail price of fossil fuel electricity cheaper than that from renewable producers. In order to attract renewable investors, it is therefore necessary to incentivise those wishing to invest in the installation of renewable plant.

Feed-in tariff legislation fixes an above market rate for utility companies to buy electricity from renewable energy producers. It could therefore mean for example that if the retail price of fossil fuel electricity were 15p per kWh, then the rate for renewable electricity could be up to 60p per kWh. In this case, the 45p difference per kWh would be spread across every customer of the relevant utility company. It is this fixed tariff paid by the utilities which makes renewable energy an attractive prospect for investors as it guarantees them a return over a long period and has been highly successful at attracting investment where it has been implemented across Europe. Germany for example now produces over 14 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, something which has been attributed to the generous and comprehensive feed-in tariff system implemented by the German government.

The Feed-in tariff system has already been in place in many states such as Germany, Israel, the US, Spain and Australia for some time now and has been instrumental in the success and growth of renewable energy operations there. The recent Energy Act (November 2008) includes specific provisions for the implementation of feed-in tariffs in the UK by 2010 although at the moment the precise details of the kWh threshold and tariff price has not been set.

Despite the current lack of clarity, it is believed that as we move towards 2010, the government will set a tariff which allows renewable energy to be a viable option to investors. The government has established the new department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) headed by Ed Milliband, whose job it is to reduce carbon emissions and help the UK meet the targets set out in international agreements such as Kyoto. They will see it as absolutely fundamental that the provisions for the feed-in tariff allow the UK to have the legal infrastructure for investors to feel safe in the knowledge that any investment they make is protected in the long term as it is in other states with strong feed-in tariff systems.

Planet Solar are specialists in the design and installation of solar energy systems for homes and domestic properties. We’re part of Energi Investsments plc which has vast experience within the Educational, Social Housing & Commercial Developers sector designing and installing Solar Photovoltaics (Solar PV), Solar Tiles and Wind Turbines.

The UK government is committed to reducing its carbon emissions through the adoption of renewable energy sources, particularly in regards to the generation of power in order to combat climate change.

The Energy Act of November 2008 set out a series of provisions in order to help the government meet its targets. The need for a clean energy cash back system comes from the fact that it is far more expensive to produce energy from green sources than it is from fossil fuels. This of course renders the retail price of fossil fuel electricity cheaper than that from renewable producers. In order to attract renewable investors, it is therefore necessary to incentivise those wishing to invest in the installation of renewable plant.

The UK government’s Clean energy cash back proposal would fix an above market rate for utility companies to buy electricity from renewable energy producers. It could therefore mean for example that if the retail price of fossil fuel electricity were 15p per kWh, then the rate for renewable electricity could be up to 60p per kWh. In this case, the 45p difference per kWh would be spread across every customer of the relevant utility company.

It is this fixed tariff paid by the utilities which makes renewable energy an attractive prospect for investors as it guarantees them a return over a long period and has been highly successful at attracting investment where it has been implemented across Europe. Germany for example now produces over 14 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, something which has been attributed to the generous and comprehensive clean energy cash back system implemented by the German government.The Future clean energy cash back system has already been in place in many states such as Germany, Israel, the US, Spain and Australia for some time now and has been instrumental in the success and growth of renewable energy operations there.
The recent Energy Act (November 2008) includes specific provisions for the implementation of clean energy cash backs in the UK by 2010 although at the moment the precise details of the kWh threshold and tariff price has not been set.

Despite the current lack of clarity, it is believed that as we move towards 2010, the government will set a cash back tariff which allows renewable energy to be a viable option to investors. The government has established the new department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) headed by Ed Milliband, whose job it is to reduce carbon emissions and help the UK meet the targets set out in international agreements such as Kyoto. They will see it as absolutely fundamental that the provisions for a clean energy cash back allow the UK to have the legal infrastructure for investors to feel safe in the knowledge that any investment they make is protected in the long term as it is in other states with strong clean energy cash back systems.

In a December 2008 report titled The Renewable energy country attractiveness indices by consultants Ernst & Young, the UK ranks highly as a potential target for renewable investors.Indeed, citing the falling value of the Pound and the iminent introduction of clean energy cash backs, Ernst & Young now rate the UK as joint fifth in a list of countries in terms of their attractiveness to investors. Germany rates top of this report, a success which is attributed to their excellent clean energy cash back system (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz EEG)

The environmental campaign group used figures obtained from the Government to show that introducing a more ambitious scheme than that currently proposed would only add an average £2.37 per year on to household electricity bills over the next four years – just £1.20 a year more than the Government is already proposing to add to fund the scheme.

The figures are published as 30 organisations and businesses – including Friends of the Earth, the Renewable Energy Association, The TUC, British Retail Consortium, the Co-operative Group, Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the Federation of Small Businesses, Unison and WWF – have written to MPs urging them to support an Early Day Motion (EDM 276) tabled by Alan Simpson MP calling for a much greater level of ambition for small scale renewable electricity generation than the Government scheme currently proposes.

Friends of the Earth, which led the campaign to introduce a feed-in tariff alongside the Renewable Energy Association, has criticised the proposed scheme as lacking ambition because it only aims to generate two per cent of UK electricity from small-scale renewable technologies by 2020. The group accuses the Government of ignoring the results of research commissioned by DECC which shows that setting the scheme to deliver a 10 per cent annual return on investment (instead of the 5-8 per cent currently proposed) for communities, businesses and households that install renewable electricity technologies would:

• Deliver over 6 per cent of UK electricity generation (equivalent to the output of Drax coal-fired power station, or twice that of Sizewell B) by 2020 – three times the Government’s current target;
• Reduce UK dependency on fossil fuels and increase energy security;
• Cut UK emissions by 9.9 million tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2020.

Friends of the Earth is calling for the proposed tariffs to be increased to deliver an annual 10 per cent return for all small-scale green energy schemes installed during the first three years of the scheme (the payment system is due to be reviewed in 2013). After this payments could be revised for new schemes as other measures are introduced, the UK renewable energy market grows and global fossil fuel energy prices rise – while maintaining the higher level of overall ambition.

Friends of the Earth’s energy campaigner Dave Timms said:
“Small-scale green energy systems such as solar panels on homes and businesses and community-owned wind turbines could play a crucial role in cutting UK emissions and speeding us towards the development of a low carbon economy.

“But the Government’s proposed Clean Energy Cash-back Scheme is far too weak – Ministers must increase payments to make it a success.

“A tiny addition to UK electricity bills would kick-start a world class scheme that would allow homes, businesses and communities to play their part in tackling climate change, increasing energy security and creating thousands of new green jobs.

“The UK’s renewable energy potential is enormous. As the world prepares for crucial climate talks in Copenhagen, the Government must show that it is taking this issue seriously and improve its plans to pay people for generating their own clean, green power.”

Source: Copyright © Friends of the Earth Trust/Limited | www.foe.co.uk