The Government has confirmed that PV installations before 15 July 2009 will receive a lower FiT of 9p, if they are registered in the Renewable Obligation Scheme (ROC).  Any systems that are not registered within the ROC scheme by 31 March 2010 will not be eligible for the FiT. "This announcement has been a great disappointed to our early customers who have been the pioneers of solar pv in this country," comments Claire Davies, The Green Electrician. "We urge the DECC to rethink this policy and put all PV owners on the same level of incentives."

The Conservative Government has said, if elected, they would ensure that early adopters of microgeneration schemes would be eligible for the same level of incentives.  Meanwhile, Good Energy has confirmed that they will continue to pay their existing customers 15p/unit generated.  For further information and to sign a petition for the extension of the FiT to all existing solar PV owners click here

3/2/10 - The Phase 1 Low Carbon Buildings Programme Grant Scheme for domestic PV installations was closed to new applications today at 5pm.  The grant scheme will be replaced by the Feed-In Tariff which will give 41.3p /unit for all electricity generated by photovoltaic systems up to 4kWp.  For more information click on Feed-In Tariff UK. 

1/2/10 - Today's Government announcement confirms a much anticipated increase in UK Feed-In Tariff for PV installations, raising it from the consultation level of 36.5p to a confirmed 41.3p for photovoltaic systems of 4kWp and under; 36.1p for new build and systems up to 10kWp (up from 31p) and 31.4p for 10 - 100Kwp (up from 28p).  The FIT will be guaranteed for 25 years, linked to inflation and tax free for home owners.

This announcement decreases payback times for PV installations and a return of 10% rather than 8%.  A typical 2.52kWp system could now earn £900 on top of the £140 reduction on energy bills. "This is good news for the customer as the FIT enables PV owners to generate an income from their panels, reducing their electricity bills and cutting their carbon emissions.  We expect to see a dramatic increase in the number of installations, particularly amongst businesses who have previously received no incentive to go solar." confirms Claire Davies, Marketing Director, The Green Electrician.

Ofgem will administer the Feed-in Tariff and suppliers will be responsible for paying the reward to their customers.  For the latest information from the Department of Energy and Climate Change click here.. Tariff Announcement.

27/1/10 - A New Survey has shown the 3/4 of homeowners would install solar pv or other renewable energy technologies if financial returns were attractive enough.

The Survey of 2100 adults was organised by Friends of the Earth, Renewable Energy Association and the Co Operative Group, highlighting that the proposed feed-in tariff levels are too low and may result in poor uptake amongst homes, businesses and communities.  Germany introduced much higher feed-in tariffs resulting in enormous uptake and a subsequently greener environment.

The announcement of the 'Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme' (feed-in tariff) is expected before the 4th February 2010.  It is hardly surprising that the electricity suppliers are supporting a lowel level of feed-in tariff.

13/1/10- The publication timetable for the announcement of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) has been delayed until the end of January. According to the Renewable Energy Association, the document must be published by the 4th February in order to meet the legislative timetable for the Feed-in Tariff.

"We receive daily enquiries about how the Feed-in Tariff will be implemented, it is difficult both for customers and ourselves to have to rely on a consultation document published last July," comments Claire Davies, The Green Electrician. "We look forward to the publication of the official document and clarification of the FiT incentives."

10/12/09 - The Treasury announced tax exemption on income from the forthcoming feed-in tariff in the prebudget report (9/12/09). This tax advantage will apply to both the generation and export streams for domestic microgeneration.

"These tax advantages are good news for green homeowners," reports Jo Taylor, Finance Director of The Green Electrician.  "Effectively it recognises and rewards the homes that install solar PV, which in turn will strengthen the incoming feed-in tariff."

7/12/09 - The Low Carbon Building Programme Phase II Grant Scheme has now closed to new solar PV applications (30 November 2009).  The scheme has closed early following unprecedented demand as the extra funds allocated to Solar PV earlier this year dried up.  A spokesperson for the DECC said the Feed-In Tariff plans were still on track to begin April 2010.   The Feed-In Tariff announcement has already been delayed by a month.

Whilst Phase II has now closed, the LCBP Phase I Scheme for domestic installations remains unchanged.  Currently offering a maximum £2500 per household, this scheme is due to close at the end of March 2010.

3/9/09 - With only four months left of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme grant scheme Phase I, homeowners have to be quick to secure the £2,500 grants before the scheme finishes at the end of March 2010.

The Green Electrician has increased its installation team to keep up with the surge in solar PV installations in the New Year.  "We only have a few slots still available before the end of March, so it is very much first come gets extra bonus of the grant," confirms director, Stephen Davies.

Whilst the Feed-in Tariff scheme (Clean Energy Cash Back) does not start until 1 April 2010, all installations from now until then are eligible for the new tariff which proposes to pay up to 41.5p for a unit of electricity.The consultation period is now over and the Office of Renewable Energy Deployment has been tasked with addressing the 700-odd responses.  We have been informed that the results and details of how the scheme will be deployed will be available in January 2010.

12 October 2009 - The rush is on with solar pv installations increasing as the LCBP grant scheme draws to a close.

"We are now doing four times the amount of installations compared to this time last year," confirms Claire Davies, marketing director, The Green Electrician.  "Home owners and community organisations only have five months left to secure government grants before the scheme moves to the new feed-in tariff.  This means residential customers will no longer get the £2,500 cash back for installing after 1 April 2010 and community organisations lose the 50% grant funding."

However, not all the rush is about securing grants, confirms Davies: "Solar energy is the technology of the future.  People are really beginning to appreciate that generating electricity from sunshine is a clean and sustainable option for meeting our energy needs."

27 September 2009 - The UK is lagging far behind Europe in generating solar electricity, where financial incentives have been in place for a number of years.  According to an article by the Sunday Telegraph (27/9) the German Government's solar programme is seeing more than 130,000 homes being fitted with solar PV technology each year.  Germany, which introduced the feed-in tariff nine years ago, installed 250 times more solar panels than the UK in 2008.

The British Government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme has helped just 1720 homeowners over the last three and half years.  "The introduction of the Feed-in Tariff is the Government's attempt to encourage uptake of renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaics, " said The Green Electrician marketing director, Claire Davies. "The Government aims to give PV system owners an 8% return on their investment.  This rate beats most banks and will encourage anyone with spare cash to turn their roof into an income producer."

For information on the feed-in tariff click here