Is it still worth investing in solar? This is a good question, which requires some knowledge of the change in the feed-in tariffs (FiTs) to answer. The FiT applies to all those homeowners who invest in solar panels or other green technologies. The FiT gives homeowners three ways to save money on their bills, making the solar panels a good investment. Money is earned for generating electricity that is consumed in the home, for exporting energy to the National Grid, and money is saved as the homeowner needs to purchase less energy direct from the energy suppliers.
The pros. Obviously there is a great green incentive for investing in solar technology, as once made, they produce no CO2 (though there is a significant CO2 cost to their initial construction). As some have been shown to last thirty years this is a huge reduction of your carbon footprint. The long lifespan is also helpful, as if you sell your house, having solar panels installed may well increase buyer interest.
The tariffs for the different green energies are as follows: Solar PV: For installations installed before the 12th December 2011, the generation tariff is 43.3p p/kWh, which drops to 21p p/kWh for those installed after this date. Wind: 18 to 34.5p p/kWh decreasing to 4.5 to 9.4p p/kWh when you have generated over 500kW. Small hydro: 11 to 19.9p p/kWh decreasing to 4.5 - 11p p/kWh over 100kW. Anaerobic Digestion: 9 to 11.5p/kWh.These tariffs are variable dependant on the scale of the installation, for detailed figures there is a very helpful table available here: http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/eligible/levels/
The cons. I have already mentioned a high initial cost, which is in the region of 10,000, putting solar panels way out of many people's price ranges. There is also the impact on your roof to consider, adding Solar PV may void your roofing warranty - you'll have to check with your insurer. It could also make a loft conversion extremely tricky, and some people even consider solar panels unsightly.
While going green is an inviting prospect, especially given the current worry over fossil fuel supplies and greenhouse gas emissions, it's not right for everyone. If money is no object and you're not worried about returns then by all means invest, but for those of us who need the technology to be financially viable, please look before you leap.
The pros. Obviously there is a great green incentive for investing in solar technology, as once made, they produce no CO2 (though there is a significant CO2 cost to their initial construction). As some have been shown to last thirty years this is a huge reduction of your carbon footprint. The long lifespan is also helpful, as if you sell your house, having solar panels installed may well increase buyer interest.
The tariffs for the different green energies are as follows: Solar PV: For installations installed before the 12th December 2011, the generation tariff is 43.3p p/kWh, which drops to 21p p/kWh for those installed after this date. Wind: 18 to 34.5p p/kWh decreasing to 4.5 to 9.4p p/kWh when you have generated over 500kW. Small hydro: 11 to 19.9p p/kWh decreasing to 4.5 - 11p p/kWh over 100kW. Anaerobic Digestion: 9 to 11.5p/kWh.These tariffs are variable dependant on the scale of the installation, for detailed figures there is a very helpful table available here: http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/eligible/levels/
The cons. I have already mentioned a high initial cost, which is in the region of 10,000, putting solar panels way out of many people's price ranges. There is also the impact on your roof to consider, adding Solar PV may void your roofing warranty - you'll have to check with your insurer. It could also make a loft conversion extremely tricky, and some people even consider solar panels unsightly.
While going green is an inviting prospect, especially given the current worry over fossil fuel supplies and greenhouse gas emissions, it's not right for everyone. If money is no object and you're not worried about returns then by all means invest, but for those of us who need the technology to be financially viable, please look before you leap.
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