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Monthly Archives: August 2011
Solar Energy For Reading Schools Proposed
Reading Council is soon going to be considering a £5 million scheme to have solar panel installed on roofs of a number of schools. By using solar energy in this way they are intending to lower energy costs and also to help the environment by lowering carbon emissions.
Reading schools may be about to get solar panels installed.
Energy Costs
At the moment the price of energy is increasing nationally, and that is set to continue in to the future. A certain amount of that is due to inflation, but the costs for energy are increasing above the rate of inflation, so prices are also increasing in real terms. By using solar energy of course, you are getting energy for free after the initial installation so it is a way of combating energy costs that a lot of individuals, businesses and public bodies are considering.
It is anticipated that schools will be able to save around £3000 a year by using solar energy, and with the feed in tariff on top of that they might make up to £14000 in addition to these savings. This means that after around 10 years the initial costs will have been paid off, and they will be in profit territory for the remaining 15 years that solar panels tend to last for.
As stated, this is not only something that public bodies are able to take advantage of, the feed in tariff was put in place particularly for individuals. With the roofs of normal houses not being as big, on average people will make around £1000 instead of the £14000 that is expected the Reading schools will make. However, as it will cost less for a solar installation when getting a smaller solar energy system installed, it should still only take around 10 years to pay off the installation costs.
Helping The Environment
The main reason that the government has introduced the feed in tariff though, which makes solar energy a much better investment, is because it helps the environment. All of the energy that you produce with the solar panels for your home is energy that you do not have to get from carbon emitting conventional sources.
This means that you will be significantly reducing your carbon footprint. This helps the environment because it means that you will be staving off the effects of global warming, which comes about due to the emission of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which is emitted when fossil fuels are burned.
This is very important because the potential effects of global warming could be catastrophic. Everyone has heard about the possible rises in sea levels due to the ice caps melting, however an even greater danger is the possibility that global warming will have detrimental effects on ecosystems. If that happens then we might not be able to grow the food we need in order to feed ourselves.
In order for a lot of people to be able to get involved in solar energy in order to help the environment though it has to make sense financially as well otherwise it would only be an option for the particularly wealthy. That’s why the feed in tariff helps so much in this regard.
Solar Energy UK
If you are interested in getting solar panels for your home, get in touch with Solar Energy UK for a free quote on a solar installation. By using the MCS accredited solar installers that we provide you will automatically be eligible for the feed in tariff.
Charity Offers Solar Panels To 500 Homes In Wales
If you live in Bridgend, Glamorgan and you’re on a low income then you could be eligible for a scheme in which a charity is giving away solar panels to 500 homes. The charity, Sustainable Wales, is giving away these solar panels so that families on a low income will be able to reduce their monthly energy costs and also cut their carbon emissions.
Free solar panels being given away to those on low income in Bridgend, Wales.
Free Solar Panels
Solar installations usually cost between £8,000 and £12,000 so they’re an investment that will be out of the price range of those on a low income. Charities like this make it possible for people to get solar panels who would normally not be able to do so.
There are also other companies that offer free solar installations, however they do so for profit and it turns out that it isn’t actually a very good deal. The reason that they are able to offer the installation for free is that they will take all of the money that is generated through the feed in tariff.
It is the feed in tariff, introduced in April 2010, which has made solar energy in to a viable investment for lots more people. The way it works is that for each unit of electricity produced by your solar panels, you receive a certain amount of money. How much depends on the type and size of system that you have installed. The most you can get is 43.3p per kilowatt hour, and it doesn’t fall much below 40p for the lowest rates.
This may not sound like it is very much, but of course the solar panels for your home will be generating electricity all day, every day (except at night of course!). So actually it’s normal for people on the feed in tariff to make around £1,000 a year. That’s on top of the savings on energy costs.
So if you get free solar panels, you’ll be missing out on the feed in tariff which should take you into profit territory within 8-10 years. Instead you will have to rely on savings on energy bills alone, which are not enough to make solar energy in to an attractive financial investment. Although if you can’t afford to get a solar installation then it might be worth looking in to.
The Future Of Solar Energy
The reason that charities and governments are getting involved in solar energy, apart from helping the less well off with their fuel bills, is to help save the environment. It’s the most popular form of renewable energy as it is so versatile and can be used in so many different ways. From large solar arrays, to individual buildings and even for transport.
With all renewable energy it is emission free and so helps to fight global warming, which is caused by burning fossil fuels. The more renewable energy is used, the less energy has to come from conventional, carbon emitting means.
Solar Energy UK
If you would like a free quote for a solar installation or more information then get in touch with Solar Energy UK. By using our MCS accredited solar installers you will be able to take full advantage of the feed in tariff.
Ford Designs Car To Be Powered By Solar Energy
In the previous post, we discussed what will perhaps be the fastest solar powered car, which is due to compete in the World Solar Challenge in October, but stated that there were as yet no solar powered cars for road use. Well, Ford are going some way towards providing just that, although not in the way that you might first think.
The electric cars from Ford are going to be sold with solar panels for your roof.
Ford’s Electric Car
The electric car which Ford is developing is not going to be exclusively powered by solar energy, indeed it is not going to have any solar panels on it at all. So it can’t really be called a solar powered car. However, they are going to be encouraging their customers to generate solar power in order to run them. That’s because they’ll be teaming up with a solar company to offer rooftop solar panels which will be able to generate the electricity necessary to run the cars.
At the moment this is a programme that is only going to be available in the United States, indeed only in two States there to begin with. If it’s a successful programme, then they are going to expand it to more States and after that the rest of the world, including the UK of course.
In fact this might turn out to be the best way of going about getting cars that run on solar energy. If electric cars are developed first of all, then as people get solar panels for their roofs, it will naturally occur that these cars are going to run on solar power. That might be the better way of doing it, rather than having the solar panels fixed to a car.
Electric Cars
This is not the first electric car to be developed of course, in fact they have been around for quite a few years but were not very popular. However with the increasing costs for fuel then this might be the best way to go about getting cheaper transport.
And as mentioned in the previous post, there is no reason that electric cars should not be able to get up to decent speeds. They might not be quite as fast as combustion models, but it will be more than enough for the roads. Also, another concern is often that they won’t go very far before they have to be charged. Again though, that is another myth as they predict the solar panels will be able to provide enough electricity for 1,000 miles every month.
At the moment of course it will be difficult to go long distances because there are not many places where you will be able to charge. However, if they become more popular then petrol stations will become electricity stations, and maybe even solar-electricity stations. So there’s really no reason why eventually electric cars will not be able to take over from the petrol-based ones that we have at the moment. It will take quite a lot of time of course, but important first steps are being made.
Solar Energy UK
What you can do right now though is get solar panels for your home, so at least the place where you live, if not your car, can be powered by solar energy. If you are interested in doing that then get in touch with Solar Energy UK for a free quote for a solar installation.
Fastest Solar Powered Car?
From October 16-23 the World Solar Challenge, a biannual event to find the fastest car powered by solar energy, will be held in Australia. Last time the winner was Nuna 5, developed by the Nuon Solar Team at Delft University of Technology in Holland. This year they are entering Nuna 6, which is lighter and with an improved aerodynamic design. It is one of the favourites to win again.
The Nuna 6, a favourite to win the World Solar Challenge in October.
So not only are these electric cars, but they are powered with solar energy as well. Of course they are very definitely sports cars and they’re not suitable for road use. But it bodes well that this sort of car is being developed, after all any new technology has to start off somewhere. It is all going to help towards getting commercially available cars that are powered by solar panels.
So You Thought Electric Cars Were Slow?
There is a misconception that electric cars are very slow, they’re usually compared with a milk cart. That simply isn’t true though, as this World Solar Challenge goes to show. It’s yet to be seen how fast the new Nuna 6 is going to be, but it should top last year’s car which was clocked at 145 kph (90 mph). Of course this is a lot slower that state of the art sports cars that operate on liquid fuel, but it would be more than enough for the road of course.
As stated, there are no cars that run of solar power that are suitable for the road yet. However there are reports that Toyota are developing one. That wouldn’t be a surprise either, when it comes to car manufacturers, Toyota seems to be at the forefront. Recently they began using solar panels to power one of their factories in the UK.
Solar Powered Transport
It’s not just cars that can be powered by solar energy either of course. In fact other modes of transport are already quite far advanced when it comes to using solar panels for their power. For example, one that was reported on here a while back, the solar yacht, is already commercially available. It’s not going to solve the world’s problems of course, but it’s an encouraging sign.
Also, solar powered flight has already been perfected by the US military, who use the fact that there is no refuelling necessary to keep a plane in the air for years at a time with solar panels. It should be noted though that it is an unmanned plane, as that would be a long stint for any pilot!
Again, at the moment these technologies are not in a state to be used on a mass scale but it’s a good sign that they are being used at all.
Solar Energy UK
While solar powered transport is something to look out for in the future, right now the best way that you can get involved with solar energy is by getting solar panels for your home. If you’d like a free quote for an installation then feel free to get in touch with Solar Energy UK on our freephone number.
Thames Water To Get Cheap Electricity From Solar Energy
Recently we have seen a few big companies get behind solar energy. There was Toyota, which has recently turned on its solar panels, using the energy to make cars. Then there was Ikea, revealing its plans to have solar panels installed on the roofs of ten of its retail outlets in the UK. And now there is Thames Water, which has just signed a contract with £7m to get its electricity from solar energy.
The solar arrays providing solar energy to Thames Water should save customers money.
The Deal
The deal they have struck is with Ennoviga Solar, which will build solar arrays at several locations. By making sure that these installations are complete before the rates come down for larger projects, as they are set to do soon, they will be able to make use of the highest rates for the feed in tariff.
What Thames Water gets out of it is that its energy bill is set to be reduced by around £100,000 a year. And with the price of conventional energy going up at a rate greater than inflation, and of course the price of solar energy staying the same (as it is free after the installation) they predict that they will make increased savings in the future.
These savings, they say, they will be able to pass on to their customers. So that while other companies have to struggle with paying more for their electricity, and inevitably having to pass these costs on to their customers, the charges which Thames Water make should not change so much.
Profitability
It’s unfortunate that “profit” is something of a dirty word these days, as it is not really a sign that customers and employees have been exploited, it just means that the resources used to create a product are of less value separately than they are together. That, of course, should be the aim of any enterprise (if it’s not the case then it is simply wasting resources).
That’s why it’s a good thing when solar energy allows companies to be more profitable. The reason that becomes really important though is that it makes solar panels more desirable, and this will help to fight global warming. So even though businesses generally cannot afford to take large environmental concerns in to consideration when they are making business decisions, when the environmentally friendly option is also the most profitable then it means that it will be used more extensively. The benefits to the environment will be the same, whatever the motive.
Feed In Tariff
From this perspective, of course, it is a bad thing that the feed in tariff is set to be limited to only smaller installations. However what has to be taken in to account is that the fund behind it is limited so it is really a case of whether it is businesses or individuals are going to be able to make use of it.
The government has decided that it wants individuals to be able to make use of it the most, which is why it has limited its use to only relatively minor solar installations. Hopefully though there will be enough of those so that it equals a larger commercial installation.
Solar Energy UK Renewables
If you would like to take advantage of the feed in tariff yourself, then by using the MCS accredited solar installers supplied by Solar Energy UK Renewables you will be able to do so. Get in touch for more information and to get a free, no obligation quote.
Is A Solar Energy Investment Worth It?
If you’re considering getting solar panels for your home, then it might well be because you are concerned about global warming and other bad effects on the environment that come about from burning fossil fuels. On the other hand, you might simply be considering it as a financial investment. For most people of course, they will be considering both aspects and this article is going to consider both.
Make extra money with your solar panels through the feed in tariff.
Environmentally
One of the major problems facing the world today is that of global warming. This is caused by our reliance on fossil fuels for our energy. That’s because when fossil fuels are burned they release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. This contributes to the warming of the planet beyond the point that it should be warmed.
By using clean, renewable energy sources we naturally cut back on how much fossil fuel we have to use because there won’t be so much demand for it. So is it worth getting involved in solar energy for this reason? Well, one solar installation is not going to save the world of course, but all anybody can do is make sure that they are doing what they can. If everyone did that then we would solve the problem of global warming. So as long as you look at it in the right way and don’t expect too much, then it certainly is worth it to use solar energy.
Indeed this is measured by the metaphor of a carbon footprint, which describes how much energy you use which is dependent on fuels which emit carbon. So by using solar panels you will be drastically reducing your carbon footprint.
Financially
There is another consequence, of course, of using less energy from your conventional supplier. It means that your energy bills are going to come down, so you’ll be making monetary savings in that way. Are these worth getting solar panels though?
Unfortunately the answer to that one, at least considering these savings exclusively, is that it is probably not worth it. It takes too long to recoup the money that you have to spend on the solar installation through savings alone to make it worth it the investment, in fact it takes about the life of the solar panels, 25 years.
Fortunately though, it is no longer necessary to rely on savings alone. If you use MCS accredited solar installers for your installation, like the ones from Solar Energy UK Renewables, then you can also get money from the feed in tariff.
This is a government scheme which pays you for all of the energy that you produce, at a rate which will be somewhere around 40p per kilowatt hour. The highest rate at the moment is 43.3p, which you can get if you get the correct sort and size of solar energy system. With this scheme it is common to get an extra £1,000 a year, which makes it a much better financial investment. Of course whether it makes it worth it or not is a question that only you can answer.
Solar Energy UK Renewables
Contact Solar Energy UK Renewables on our freephone number if you would like to know more about the solar panels that we offer or you would like a free, no obligation quote for a solar installation.
Solar Energy Fund Launched By The Secret Millionaire
It’s been a week of TV shows getting involved with solar energy. First there was the report by Sky News about the benefits of solar panels, then the first Dragons’ Den entrepreneur got funding for a solar power project, and now investors who met on The Secret Millionaire have hatched a business deal to take advantage of solar energy.
Freetricity founders offer grants in exchange for feed in tariff payments.
Freetricity
Ben Way and Paul Williams, who met on the Channel 4 programme, The Secret Millionaire, have formed the company Freetricity, which offers grants of up to £150,000 for solar installations. At first the number reported was £500m but with the reduction it is still a large amount, and they are still expecting more investment.
The fund, they say, will be available to both private individuals and business enterprises, and will keep running until it is exhausted. Anyone can apply, and they say that their decisions are based on a first-come, first-serve policy.
They’re not a charity though, so they are trying to make money out of this scheme. The way they intend to do that is by having the people who sign up to the fund sign their rights to the feed in tariff over to Freetricity.
Feed In Tariff
The feed in tariff is what has made solar energy such a good investment in recent times. It is a government scheme whereby you are paid for all of the energy that you produce with your solar panels. In fact it has made it such a good investment that many more people have now decided to get a solar installation on the back of it.
So is it worth getting a large grant for the installation, if you have to give up the feed in tariff? The answer, as usual, is that it depends. If you’re in it for the long haul, and are looking to make an investment and then see a good return on that investment then you should probably keep the feed in tariff and pay for the installation without their help.
On the other hand though, if you cannot afford a solar installation in the first place then you really have nothing to lose. If you can get them to pay for the installation, which you would not have been able to afford otherwise, then you’ll still be making savings on your energy bills. And with energy prices continuing to rise, those savings are probably going to continue to increase. The fact that you won’t be able to make use of the feed in tariff as well is unfortunate, but if you wouldn’t be able to get solar panels for you home at all without a grant then that is not really a loss.
Solar Energy UK Renewables
One of the things that you can be sure that Freetricity are going to insist on is that you use MCS accredited solar installers, like the ones found at Solar Energy UK Renewables, to get the solar panels put up. That’s because it’s only when you use government approved installers with an MCS accreditation that you will be eligible for the feed in tariff. If you would like a free quote for an installation that will allow you to make use of solar energy, then please feel free to get in touch on our freephone number.
Ikea Invests In Solar Energy
Ikea is the latest company to invest heavily in solar energy in the UK. As we reported recently, Toyota have also done so and are now building cars using solar power. This is of course good news for the environment, as it is perhaps even more important for businesses to make use of renewable energy than it is for individuals to do so. Really though it is in combination that we will be able to avert the global warming crisis.
Ikea invests £4m in solar energy.
Ikea’s Solar Energy
The Swedish home accessories company, Ikea, has already got a good record when it comes to using renewable energy. It already owns 67 wind farms worldwide, and it has just bought another one in Scotland. This is the first time it has installed solar panels on its stores in the UK though.
At the moment, the plan is to have ten stores have solar panels installed, which will cover 31,000 sq m and should generate 1.6million kWh a year. It is going to cost them around £4million. However it is not only their image as being green that they are concerned about, they also consider it to be a good financial move.
With energy prices continuing to rise, for big businesses it is a very big expense. By using renewable energy of course, after the initial installation they are going to be getting energy for free. They say that this will enable them to offer their products at lower prices.
Of course 10 stores is not actually that many, but they do intend to have that grow to all of their UK stores in the future.
Feed In Tariff
If Ikea had made these plans a little bit earlier, then they probably would have been eligible for the feed in tariff. As it is though, large installations are no longer applicable. This is to free up the resources for individuals to get solar panels on the roof of their house instead.
Indeed, for an installation of the size that they are considering, that certainly would have added up to a lot with the feed in tariff. And if companies are going to make these sorts of installations anyway, whereas individuals are not able to make large investments without a good return, then the government probably got it right. Although of course it’s impossible to say how many more companies would have got involved if the feed in tariff was still available to them.
If you don’t know what the feed in tariff is, then there is plenty of information on this website. To put it simply though, it is money that comes from the government, and it is paid according to how much energy you produce with the solar panels for your home. This means that you don’t have to rely on the savings on energy bills alone, which makes solar energy in to a much more attractive investment.
Solar Energy UK Renewables
If you are interested in getting a solar installation, you can get in touch on our freephone number for a free quote. If you decide to go ahead with it, then by using our MCS accredited solar installers you are sure to qualify for the feed in tariff.
Charity Provides Fund For Solar Energy In Cornwall
The charity, Community Energy Plus, has recently announced that it has a £20m fund available for residents and community based projects in Cornwall to have solar panels installed. This will be available to schools, fund raising groups, and of course to people with private residences.
Solar energy given a boost in Cornwall by charity.
Renewable Energy Revolution
The charity claims that this will be the start of a “renewable energy revolution” in Cornwall. This comes at a time just after the government announced that the feed in tariff will no longer be available for large scale projects. This is inevitably going to halt what would have been a rush by solar companies to build solar farms in the area which would have been able to power hundreds, if not thousands of homes.
It therefore comes at a very good time, as it seemed as if the investment in solar energy in Cornwall was going to dry up. The reason that this is such an important area is because on average it is where we get the most amount of sunlight. This makes it an ideal place to get solar energy of course.
The problem in the past, which has been solved with the introduction of the feed in tariff, was that getting solar panels for your home was not actually a very good investment. When taking in to account the cost of an installation, the savings that you make on energy bills were not particularly substantial. However with the feed in tariff topping these up by paying you for all of the solar energy that you produce, it has become a much better investment.
You are still left with the quite considerable cost of a solar installation though. This is what prevents more people from being able to get one. So if this is reduced significantly, whether by grants from the government or charities like CEP, it allows more people to make use of solar power.
Why Solar Energy Is Important
Of course the reason that solar power is so important, the reason that the government introduced the feed in tariff and that charities are getting involved in funding it as well, is because of global warming. If that goes unchecked then rising sea levels could be the least of our problems, because if ecosystems are destroyed then we may not be able to grow enough food to feed ourselves anymore.
That’s why it’s crucial that as many people and businesses as possible get involved with solar energy, and any other form of renewable energy of course.
The reason why many people are driven to solar power is that energy prices are rising. Not just by a little bit either, they are rising at a dramatic rate and so the savings that you make by having solar panels are becoming more and more significant.
Solar Energy UK Renewables
Here at Solar Energy UK Renewables, we offer two kinds of solar installations from our MCS accredited solar installers. They are of PV solar panels, which generate electricity, and solar water hot water systems, which provide you with hot water of course. We can also install heat pumps for your heating needs. If you would like a free no obligation quote for any of these installations, then please feel free to get in touch on our freephone number.
New Solar Grants Now Available For Hot Water Systems
Renewable heating grants are now available for people who want to make use of solar energy to heat the water in their home, or for people who want to get a heat pump or biomass boilers for the same.
Now you can save more with a renewable energy grant.
Grants
This is part of the government’s strategy to to reduce carbon emissions significantly by 2020, but it has been criticised by some for not going far enough. For example, they say that the grant available for solar hot water systems, which applies to all homes, is not large enough. Also, the ones for heat pumps only apply to people who are using more energy intensive means at the moment, like oil, and do not have mains gas.
The government claims that this is still going to have a big effect in the renewable energy market. And it comes at a time just before the renewable heat incentive will be available to non-domestic users, like businesses. And just over a year before it also becomes available to households. By using MCS accredited solar installers, even if you get a solar installation or heat pump installation before the renewable heat incentive actually comes out, you will still be eligible once it does. In the meantime you will also be making savings on energy bills of course.
Here are the figures for the grant scheme which is now in operation:
|
System |
Available to homes… |
Grant amount available |
|
Solar Thermal |
All |
£300.00 |
|
Ground Source Heat Pump |
Without mains gas |
£1,250.00 |
|
Air Source Heat Pump |
Without mains gas |
£850.00 |
Here you can see then, that you get the most if you get a ground source heat pump installation. However it should be taken in to account that these are also more expensive than an air source heat pump.
Also, while the grant for a hot water system that uses solar energy is clearly not as much as the others, when it’s in your bank account, that money is not going to know that.
Benefits
You’ll get two kinds of benefits from using renewable energy. First of all of course there are the financial benefits. You make savings on energy bills, and these will be even more substantial if you are currently using something like an oil fired boiler.
Also, it won’t be long before you get even more than just the savings, as mentioned the renewable heat incentive will be in effect soon which will allow you to make money through renewable energy. It’s going to work in the same way as the feed in tariff does now, paying you for each unit of energy produced. The feed in tariff is what applies to the solar energy created through PV solar panels, which create electricity of course rather than heat.
The whole reason the government has introduced these incentives though is because it wants to get the larger environmental benefits. That is, the reduced carbon emissions, which will help to fight global warming.
Solar Energy UK Renewables
If you would like to know more about solar energy, or get a free quote for a solar or heat pump installation, then please feel free to get in touch on our freephone number.
