Government Consultation on Feed-in Tariffs for Solar PV

As you may have heard, the UK Government is proposing to reduce the feed in tariff for new solar PV installations by 50%. Their rationale for doing this is that the cost of installation has reduced by about 30%. The proposal is now out for consultation and you can take part.

According to the Sustainable Scotland Network the consultation contains the following key proposals:

• Reduction of the FITs rate for domestic solar electricity production (under 4kW in size) from the current 43.3p/Kwh to 21p/Kwh. The new rate would apply to all PV schemes with an eligibility date on or after 12 December 2011. Those who already receive FITs will continue to receive their current rate and those with an eligibility date on or before 12 December will receive the current rates for 25 years. Reduced rates are also proposed for schemes between 4kW and 250kW.
• Introduction of a new multi installation tariff rate. Owners with more than one solar PV scheme at different locations would receive a ‘multi-installation rate for aggregated solar PV schemes’ set at 80% of the standard tariff for individual installations.
• New energy efficiency requirements. In order to be eligible for FITs from 1st of April 2012 the owner would have to demonstrate that their property had an Energy Performance Certificate level of C and/or or taking up all the measures potentially eligible for Green Deal finance to qualify for FITS.
• Community Projects. As part of the consultation DECC will consider if more can be done to help community project fully benefit from FITS.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Greg Barker said:

“My priority is to put the solar industry on a firm footing so that it can remain a successful and prosperous part of the green economy, and so that it doesn’t fall victim to boom and bust.
“The plummeting costs of solar mean we’ve got no option but to act so that we stay within budget and not threaten the whole viability of the FITs scheme."

Instructions for taking part in the consultation process can be found here on the DECC web site.

Edinburgh Eco-Congregation Installs Solar Panels

One of our eco-congregations, Saughtonhall United Reformed Church in Edinburgh, has started generating electricity from their own solar panels on the church roof. The panels were officially switched on by Rev Ewan Aitken, Chair of Eco-Congregation Scotland at a ceremony on Sunday.

Mark Kirkbride from the church with the new solar panels

According to a report in the Edinburgh Evening News:

Reverend Susan Kirkbride, minister at Saughtonhall, said: “Not only will the panels mean Sunday services are mainly heated and lit with our own electricity, but many of the groups using the church during the week will also benefit. 

“The church drama group believe they may have Edinburgh’s first solar-powered pantomime matinee this November, when they stage their show Beauty Sleeping.”
The church said the solar panels, which cost less than £30,000, should pay for themselves in six or seven years. 

The new system, supplied and installed by local firm Christie and Ross, will produce a maximum of 9.8kw of electricity, about the same amount as panels recently installed on Bradford Cathedral.
Surplus electricity generated by the church will be fed into the National Grid, earning cash for the congregation, and the church will take power for its own needs from the grid during the night when it is cheaper. 

The decision to fit the panels came after the church’s elders arranged a review of carbon-saving opportunities by the Energy Saving Trust. 

The official switch-on will be performed by the Rev Ewan Aitken, convenor of Eco Congregations Scotland. 

Ewan Aitken spoke at the switch on ceremony

He said: “We believe churches can be real leaders in this field. Saughtonhall are breaking the ground, which is great. 

“It’s a way of leading by example, to say to others that we need to do different things in the way we do our energy in consumption and generating it. Churches are often at the centre of their communities, so a project like this can be a catalyst for the whole community getting involved in these kinds of initiatives.”

Rev Ewan Aitken, Rev Susan Kirkbride, Rev John Humphreys (URC Synod of Scotland)

If your Church is considering solar panels then you should come to our conference.

Eco-Congregation Scotland and the Church of Scotland would like to invite you to a conference which will look at options and challenges of installing solar panels in church buildings. The conference will take place on 29 October, 10am-3.30pm, in Partick South Church Glasgow.

This is a practical conference with speakers from congregations who have carried out solar panel installations and energy conservation projects.

Full details here:

http://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/events/solar-panels-in-church-buildings/