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The introduction of the feed-in tariff in April was the kick start the PV market had been waiting for. The stated aim for the Government was to meet the EU target of generating at least 15% of the UK's energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. PV is leading the way in terms of volume compared to other forms of renewable energy generation.

So what has actually been achieved over that time? There is ...

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There is some nervousness ahead of the Governments spending announcements on 20th October, with speculation that the feed-in tariff rates could be changed, with the regression date moved forward or future rates reduced. There is also concern that the retrospective granting of the tariff to early sdopters will be cancelled after all, which would be a major disappointment to the early adopters and an unfortunate reduction in confidence for the PV sector as a whole ...

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The Government announced this week that low cost loans would soon be made available to help with the capital cost of installing energy efficient measures for domestic houses, including renewable energy. Initial expectations are that they would help finance part of the capital cost of, for example, a solar system, with the capital being repaid against the income/cost savings generated from the system. The loan would also be tied to the property, not the ...

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There was some confusion regarding eligibility for the feed-in tariff (FIT) if you had installed a pv system prior to 15th July 2009. It has now been clarified that even if installed before that date, as long as you have applied for accreditation under the RO scheme by 31st March 2010, you will still be eligible for the FIT.  

Any certified system installed after 15th July 2009 will automatically be eligible.

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On 1st February the Government announced the actual feed-in tariff rates which will become live from April 2010. The rate for systems 4kW or below is now 41.3p, if installed within the next 2 years, thereafter reducing to 37.8p. The tariff will last for 25 years, so even after you have recouped the cost of your system, you will continue to reap financial benefit as well as continuing to save significant carbon every ...

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We recently completed an installation of a 3.36kW system on a roof, which was rather more complicated in terms of using the roof space. The customer already had solar thermal panels installed, so now has a complete set of solar renewables!

A quote from the customer:"Thank you to your team for the very efficient installation of our solar pv system. We are really pleased with the system - even in January we have generated ...

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The Chancellor of the Exchequor announced in his pre-budget report on 9th December that income derived from renewable energy systems will not be taxed, as long as the electricity generated is used primarily for their own use. This makes the installation of microgeneration systems even more attractive. An average feed-in tariff value of £900 in 2010 would hence save a household paying basic rate tax £180.

With the window of opportunity closing fast to also ...

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Jonathan Stobart, Managing Director of Smart Solar Ltd, recently installed a 1.8kW system on his garage at home. The system is west facing which will result in an efficiency drop of only 15% compared to being south facing. It took two days to install and is now generating power. See attached photo.

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An Indian summer on offer for solar microgeneration

Experts encourage homeowners to take advantage of the closing window of opportunity to benefit from dual solar subsidies.

Homeowners must act now to take advantage of a closing window of opportunity for solar microgeneration. This is according to Jonathan Stobart from Smart Solar, who’s encouraging the British public to take advantage of the crossover between government legislation that could potentially save them £thousands.

The government’s ...

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Smart Solar's 1st PV Instalation was installed today in South Wales. This is a 1.8kWp roof mounted system. It took just 2 days to install. The first week-end it was operating it generated 11.5kWhs and 11.3kWhs of power over the 2 days of the week-end!

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This week we have teamed up with the Guardian online to answer questions about energy generation and pv solar in particular....check this link for further information.

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Confusion means the British public is reluctant to explore the benefits of solar microgeneration.

This is according to Jonathan Stobart; Managing Director of Smart Solar who believes that solar needs to become more accessible in order to encourage homeowners to adopt the technology.

Solar power is rarely out of the news these days with governments, businesses and campaigners all seemingly supporting the implementation of the technology in homes across Britain. But ask the average homeowner ...

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The tantalising prospect of a long, sunny summer has only added to the appeal of the systems, which thanks to government action are already subject to a number of financial incentives designed to encourage homeowners to adopt the technology.

Smart Solar’s new 1.2kW grid-connected PV system requires no planning permission* and has been developed to attract a ...

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Smart Solar is proud to launch a PV Microgeneration system, suitable for domestic installation, with both ground mounted and roof mounted options available. Our proposition is a 1.2Wp system which is designed to both attract maximum government grant and also avoid the need for planning permission (subject to certain criteria being met).

Our easy to assemble solar solution will deliver an average of nearly 1000 kWh per year, and qualifies for a government grant ...

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