New FiT rate

Talk Electrician Forum

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Is anybody surprised by this? I know its not good news if you are fitting the gear but the number of installations is crazy, I live somewhere rural and see a new panel array every week. There are 2 companies that have sprung out of nowhere locally doing solar panels.

I imaging that demand has increased beyond what the government and electricity companies need (they get fined if a certain amount of or power is not generated by renewable).

I'm afraid I see this all as total folly. With realistic rates of payment for electricity generated there is no payback, you do it for the good of the world. Government would be better biting the bullet and getting on building the nuclear power stations that will be needed to provide electricity for the future.

Sorry if I put a few noses out of joint.

 
How much does a nuclear power station cost?? The millions spent on the public enquiry alone will put amny thousands of sets of panels on peoples roofs. Now personally I think we need both, cos no re-newable tech is reliable, except tidal schemes. But as the enviromentalists moan when people suggest putting a barage across the severn estuary (which would be ideal for this), there isn't much chance of that happening. The other answer of course is less people and pets for that matter!! :^O

 
It was a rate that was never going to last.

Don't foget its not the goverment that has to pay the FIT is the electricty company.

They can provide it to you at 13p a unit, but have to pay you 41.3p a unit, result bigger bills for those that can't afford PV, the money has to come from somewhere.

I'm in favour of renewable energy but this is not the way to do it.

 
How much does a nuclear power station cost?? The millions spent on the public enquiry alone will put amny thousands of sets of panels on peoples roofs. Now personally I think we need both, cos no re-newable tech is reliable, except tidal schemes. But as the enviromentalists moan when people suggest putting a barage across the severn estuary (which would be ideal for this), there isn't much chance of that happening. The other answer of course is less people and pets for that matter!! :^O
Estimates for the cost of building a nuclear power station are 1.5-2.5 billion. I'll take 2 billion for calculations.

 
Yes the people who are pushing renewable energy say its cheaper. Sort of like Walkers crisps will likely tell us that they are the best crisp.

At this very moment I am sitting here at midnight. It's dark but I have the lights on, the TV on, laptop etc. We use around 60% of our electricity at night. I see a problem with solar!

What we need is constant available power that is not dependant on weather! A still overcast day and we'd have no power. We are running out of fossil fuels. The ONLY solution is nuclear.

 
It was always going to go down as we are following the german model, I thought everyone was expecting 36p not 20p though!

As for generating useful power for the country solar is not good, unless we can store it which at present Im sure we cant.

Tidal doesnt seem that developed on a large scale, same with wave. Our country just doesnt seem to have invested at the right time in these technologies when it should have, which is fine with the big power providers, we dont have many options I dont think in this country, wind is very expensive and sometimes next to useless, as a country we need nuclear, so lets get building before we have a argument with the russians and the lights go out.

 
We, as a country, can and indeed do "store" vast amounts of electrical energy; in the form of pumped hydro reservoirs. I see no reason why this, or other innovations, cannot be utilised to offset the "operating window" effect of solar.....plus we`re grid-tied to mainland Europe - so we`ve extended that window somewhat.

I don`t think anyone is suggesting that PV can solve our energy problems alone...but it can surely play its part. Reduction of the FIT was originally set at 12% ; somewhat more palatable than the 55% reduction being courted.

Those who I feel for now are the ones who`ve just paid for their PV courses, buying their test gear, expecting there to be a decent market in this for a good few years to come. This will rip the guts out of the market, in my opinion.

People who`ve paid their deposit, and have an estimated install date after the end of November aren`t going to be happy. How many are going to cancel, and want their money back because the terms of the deal have changed? But the company they`re buying from has already invested that money in stock!

I`d like to say "I predict a riot"! But, knowing the Brits en masse, I`ll predict a quiet murmur of disappointment, and the odd whimper from honest, hard-working entrepreneurs going under due to the collective governments` inabilities to maintain a reasonable system. I`ll echo paddler`s comment, r.e. the "rent-a-roof" schemes - they were allowed / encouraged to help poorer elements of society "do their bit" for the green revolution - while simultaneously creating an untenable and unsustainable drain on the system.

Whose fault will it be when we, as a country, haven`t met our renewable energy targets, and get fined billions by the EU? Yours? Mine? The government will blame the "lethargic" brits who didn`t take them up on their offer.

As usual with this country - the only winners are those who had the money to stuff panels on other people`s roofs, and watch the money come back long term.

Everybody else loses. Albert - I`m coming with you when you emigrate. There`s no future here.

Disgruntled KME

 
As usual with this country - the only winners are those who had the money to stuff panels on other people`s roofs, and watch the money come back long term.

Everybody else loses. Albert - I`m coming with you when you emigrate. There`s no future here.

Sums up FITs though doesnt it, only the well off had enough money to be 'green' and make money for give or take 15 years after the payback period, the rest of us pay for them being green and making money with increased energy bills. There is enough pensioners out there scared to put on the heating without adding to this.

 
Just to add - short term its going to have a positive impact - company `phoned today; and want to bring as many jobs as possible forward......Think its going to be 5+ jobs a week, for five or six weeks.........

 
So how does that work?

As some will know from discussions on here, I had a company around offering PV panels, and they said the current FIT was guaranteed until March 2012.

So were they (typical salesmen?) lying to me?

Or has the present deal been ended earlier than expected?

Again as some will know I have been having discussions and was still keen to find a way to get a system installed, but I'm afraid at the lower rate it just ain't going to happen. And there's no way I could get it all done and dusted and on line by 12th December.

A very short sighted and sad move is all I can say.

 
What a shambles, one the government should be ashamed of.

So where does that leave people who have paid a deposit and expect a system installed and to get the "old" FIT

If their system can't be installed an on line by the 12th, are they entitled to cancel the contract and get a refund of the deposit?

There will be pretty instant job losses as a result of this. Ironic on a day when our esteemed PM announced a fund to create several thousand jobs.

Give with one hand. Take with the other.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Exactly.

I`ve just got back form the yard, after loading tomorrow`s job. The first thing I get this morning: "Can you give us 7 days a week"? - they`re trying to pull ALL their jobs forwards, in an attempt to get everyone installed in the next five weeks; else many of `em will be looking for refunds.

We can put four or five teams in place this week; the ones I feel bad for are people like "our" Binky - he`s got worked booked until Feb, last I heard; and he cannot get through them all in the available time :( :( :(

As I said above, many companies in the same situation will go to the wall over this -

 
Top