Latest news on Solar PV

WARNING!!!!    Government policy on solar PV is in disarray.  The government announced a fast track review of solar PV feed in tariffs late last year, ending on 23rd December.  But they pre-announced a cut in the the tariff of around half for systems installed after 12 December 2011 – creating a mad rush to get systems installed by that date.  This unexpected change in policy (it was supposed to be reviewed from 1 April 2012 – and that was what the emerging solar industry was gearing up for) has since been challenged in the courts.

 To find out the latest, visit the Energy Saving Trust website. The costing figures on the rest of this page are based on the previous tariff and will be updated as soon as the new rules are confirmed.

Steyning’s Gone Solar!

Nearly 50 houses now have solar PV

Does your house have a sunny roof?  If so, have you thought about installing solar panels?  With the new incentive schemes, this is great time to go solar.  You can save on energy bills, cut your carbon footprint, and create a nice little earner. More and more people are catching the solar bug. Following the Greening Campaign solar push last summer, there has been a leap in the number of systems installed.  As of January 2012, there are getting on for 50 systems installed in the area.  The Steyning Centre has had panels for more than a year, St Andrew’s Primary School has fitted a big solar array, and Steyning Museum has a shiny new system – co-funded from the Greening Campaign’s community solar scheme.  If we keep going at this rate, we could turn Steyning, Bramber and Upper Beeding into solar powered villages.  If everyone put up solar panels, we could generate over 50% of our total domestic electricity requirements.  This is the theoretical maximum, according to Sam Barnard, a former Steyning Grammar student, who did a detailed study of the potential for solar energy in Steyning for his university dissertation.

How does it work?

Check out this presentation which gives a Beginner’s Guide to Solar Energy. Basically, there’s two types of solar panels:

This house has both types of solar panels: hot water on left, PV on right

  • Some produce hot water
  • Others generate electricity – known as photovoltaic or ‘PV’ panels

There’s government-backed schemes for both these days, but the incentives for installing PV systems are particularly good – dazzling in fact! Under the new ‘Feed in Tariff’ scheme you get reimbursed for every unit of electricity you generate – 43.3p per kWh.  This is nearly four times the price you pay to your electricity supplier for electricity you buy from the grid.  And if you don’t use it yourself you can sell it back to grid and earn even more (an extra 3.1p per kWh).  If you have a good roof, you can get a return of 8-10% a year, guaranteed for 25 years.  It’s index linked, and tax free, which is pretty impressive.  That’s a lot better than any building society account!

So what makes a good roof for solar panels?

Facing due south is obviously the best, but anything between southeast and southwest is good too.  It needs to be largely unshaded, and not have too many obstructions, like dormer windows. To learn about the finer details, the Greening Campaign has also produced a very useful information note on points to consider when deciding about PV systems.   For more details of solar options in practice, see this case study of a system installed in Bramber in 2010 which has now been running for a full year.

How much does it cost?

Solar panels are not cheap.  But they can be a very good investment.  A typical hot water system costs £3000-£4000, whereas an average-sized PV system is more like £8,000-£12,000.  If you’ve got some savings sitting in the bank earning peanuts, fitting solar panels could be a great way of making a ‘green investment’ that will keep paying back for years to come. If you’re savings won’t stretch to this, all is not lost.  There are a number of so-called ‘rent-a-roof’ schemes where if you have a really good roof commercial companies will agree to install PV panels for nothing. You sign a 25 year contract.  You benefit from free electricity when the sun’s shining, while they take advantage of the Feed in Tariff. Watch out for solar cowboys though – there are lots of firm trying out the hard sell approach, so choose a supplier carefully.  Always get several quotes, and follow up references.

Will it increase the value of my house?

Yes it should do, since it will guarantee the next owner a steady income stream and/or cheaper energy bills.  You’ll also be improving the energy rating of your house (Energy Performance Certificates take solar panels into account),  But there isn’t much hard evidence yet since the feed in tariff is still quite new.  See this article for a helpful discussion of the issues to bear in mind. 

Four Companies have joined the Community Scheme

Solar companies sign up to Community Scheme

The Greening Campaign has negotiated a deal with four solar companies*.  For every system they install in Steyning, Bramber and Beeding between now and the end of March 2012 they have agreed to make a contribution to help Steyning Museum put solar panels on its roof.   Installers will contribute £250 per system, and rent-a-roof companies will contribute £50 (this is lower because these companies need to pay the up-front costs of the systems they install).  The target is to raise £5000 towards the museum’s PV system. The two companies doing solar installations (where you pay the up-front cost) are:

Solar Advanced Systems: www.solaradvancedsystems.co.uk email:  Sales@solaradvancedsystems.co.uk   Tel: 01342 871616

Southern Renewables: www.southernrenewables.co.uk email: info@southernrenewables.co.uk   Tel: 01444 300121

The two ‘rent-a-roof’ companies (where they pay the up-front cost) are: Sunhive: sunhive.com email: info@sunhive.com   Tel: 01273 256 429 HomeSun: www.homesun.com email: knowmore@homesun.com  Tel: 07947 149236 Note: Homesun have an online application form on their website to check if your roof is suitable.  Quote: “Steyning 10:10″ in the promotional code box to show you found out about them through our website – this will trigger the £50 payment to the community scheme if you go ahead. * Steyning 10:10 invited these companies to join the Community Scheme based on recommendations received.  But Steyning 10:10 and the Greening Campaign take no responsibilities for any contracts you enter in to.  So make sure you get several quotes and follow up on references before making any decisions on which companies to go with.

The 'panel discussion' at the solar event

Solar event – 25th May

The Greening Campaign organised a public event on Wednesday May 25th 2011 at Steyning Cricket Club at 7.30-9.30pm.  Geoff Barnard gave a presentation on a Beginner’s Guide to Solar Energy. This was followed by a  ’panel discussion’ where the audience could quiz a panel made up of – from right to left in the photo - two local residents, Mike Croker and Sharon Jessie, who’ve both had PV systems installed recently, and representatives from the four companies that were invited along and have agreed to take part in the Community Scheme:   Nick Porter (Southern Advanced Systems), James Cartwright (HomeSun), Gbenga Kogbe (Sunhive), and Andy Tugby (Southern Renewables).