Blinded by the light

The Feed-in Tariff (FiT) available for Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels was almost too good to be true at 43.3p/kWh.  The projected rate of return over 25 years provided a very strong incentive to invest and at the same time make a positive contribution to reducing our reliance on polluting energy sources.

We had obtained a quotation early in 2012 for a 4kW array but didn't follow it up.   However, a  reduction in the FiT was planned in April 2012 so we decided in early November to get on and do something about it.

We got Good Life in Narberth to confirm their quote which had reduced a fair bit so we paid the deposit and were told there was probably a 2 to 3 week lead in time.  A few days later, half awake on a Saturday morning listening to the news on Radio 4, I heard a breaking story that the Government had decided to consult on reducing the FiT to 21p/kWh for any installations completed after 12 December and worse still, if the installation was on a house that did nor achieve an energy rating of C or better, the FiT would be reduced to 9p/kWh.  Given the age and construction of the house, it would be virtually impossible to achieve a rating of C and this would make PV panels unviable.   The reason given was that the take up of PV panels had exceeded expectations (surely a good thing?) and the scheme was running out of money.  Everyone was expecting some adjustment to the FiT as the cost of the panels had come down, perhaps to 34p/kWh but not, for the vast majority of people in older homes, to 9p/kWh. Incidentally, the consultation doesn't end until 23 December....

In a mild state of panic, I rang Good Life at 9.00am to be told that the installations would be completed strictly in the order of the deposits they had received and we were 6th on the list, so not to panic!  True to their word the rails to support the panels were installed on the roof of the barn a few days later.  They started at 7am and it was so cold they had to go and buy gloves to handle the scaffold poles.  A week or so later they were back early on a Sunday morning to install the panels and inverter.

Luckily, we had a new consumer panel installed in the workshop when part of it was converted into Kim's treatment room so wiring it all up was relatively straight forward.

The installation was registered by Good Life in a matter of hours allowing us to secure the higher 43.3p rate with two weeks to spare.  Others have not been so lucky, although the High Court has now ruled that imposing a cut off before the end of the consultation period is unlawful.  It remains to be seen the impact this change in policy will have on the solar industry and the country's progress in meeting it's carbon reduction targets. So much for the Government's Green credentials...

We are now generating our own electricity, although not in any significant quantities unless the sun comes out!  Thanks to Good Life who did an excellent job and have been working flat out to get as many installations completed before the deadline.