MSE News: Government plans to slash solar panel earnings

Former_MSE_Sally

If you've been considering solar panels, now's the time to get them - the Government plans to slash earnings from solar panels from £515/yr to £125/yr so act now...

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Government plans to slash solar panel earnings




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Cardew

Better late than never.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Thank god one more tax less, particularly the so called community energy schemes pretending they are social enterprises, they are really not much more than a commercial investment tool earning 10% - 13% a year, with the ludicrously high tax breaks currently available.

Next can you please stop useless windymills being built with poor peoples money !

Pincher

If I win the lottery, I am going to build a house shaped like a pyramid. The sides that get the sun will have lots of solar panels


Since you need to have a roof anyway, it can't cost too much more to use solar panels instead of tiles.


Retro-fitting old houses so you have inaccessible, and therefore expensive to maintain solar panels is just silly.


The only problem is, I can't have the pyramid going down to ground level, because it will make it too easy for burglars. Something like a bungalow, with the edge about three meters high, probably.


Any way, it's a life style option, not a sensible money saving scheme.

Smiley_Dan

Retro-fitting old houses so you have inaccessible, and therefore expensive to maintain solar panels is just silly.

Exactly what type of maintenance do you plan on doing on your solar panels?

p.s. ladder ridge hooks aren't expensive.

Pincher

Smiley_Dan wrote: »

Exactly what type of maintenance do you plan on doing on your solar panels?

p.s. ladder ridge hooks aren't expensive.

Have you tried to get anybody to go up roofs?
I need a chimney re-pointing, plus a few tiles replacing, and they are talking scaffolding.

I suppose there must be some migrants who will go up for a tenner.
I just don't know where to get rid of the body if he falls.

Smiley_Dan

Yes, I go up on my roof if I need to. I don't do it lightly. Just like choosing whether to install solar panels or anything on your house, you should do it judiciously and consider your case only (not what the Daily Mail says).

magnumuk

I see that the Gov. are giving the reason that the green levy increases everyones bills, but if this is reduced, who is to say that the energy companies will pass all this on to the customer.
Looks what happens when wholesale prices increase, sudden price hikes, but when there is a decrease as has happened lately, HUGE decreases in fact, only a small proportion is ever passed on, the companies just boost there profits even more.
Don't hold your breath on this one.

Dr. D. Wilson

WestonDave

magnumuk wrote: »

I see that the Gov. are giving the reason that the green levy increases everyones bills, but if this is reduced, who is to say that the energy companies will pass all this on to the customer.
Looks what happens when wholesale prices increase, sudden price hikes, but when there is a decrease as has happened lately, HUGE decreases in fact, only a small proportion is ever passed on, the companies just boost there profits even more.
Don't hold your breath on this one.

Dr. D. Wilson

Worth pointing out that none of the various proposals are retrospective so the current amount involved in green levies etc will remain the same - what is being proposed is that in future less generous (or none at all) subsidies will be allowed which will reduce the rate at which levies increase as part of our bills. Still coal is currently pretty cheap so if all we care about is energy cost presumably everyone will be happy to have a coal fired power station down the road.

Tallan

The last time the Government tried to reduce the tariff quicker than it had previously stated, the High Court intervened to stop them. I actually cancelled my solar panels within hours of cooling off period expiring, but my neighbour and I got a good deal with another supplier the following year on the 21p tariff. On current results, I would reckon to get my money back in 11 years, and that's with panel costs being the same as they are now with the existing tariff being half mine! So I would estimate that anyone purchasing even on the current tariff is going to take 22 years to get their money back, which seems an enormously long-term investment, so I don't think it's worthwhile. If HMG succeeds in reducing the tariff to the proposed rate, it will kill off the industry almost completely!

Cardew

Tallan wrote: »

The last time the Government tried to reduce the tariff quicker than it had previously stated, the High Court intervened to stop them. I actually cancelled my solar panels within hours of cooling off period expiring, but my neighbour and I got a good deal with another supplier the following year on the 21p tariff. On current results, I would reckon to get my money back in 11 years, and that's with panel costs being the same as they are now with the existing tariff being half mine! So I would estimate that anyone purchasing even on the current tariff is going to take 22 years to get their money back, which seems an enormously long-term investment, so I don't think it's worthwhile. If HMG succeeds in reducing the tariff to the proposed rate, it will kill off the industry almost completely!

Yes that is exactly the idea. The installation companies will move on to another 'get rich quick' scheme.


The industry only sprung up 5 years ago when the Government introduced this crazy scheme. This is what George Monbiot an environmental guru wrote about the scheme in March 2010


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/mar/01/solar-panel-feed-in-tariff



Whilst nobody blames you or others from taking advantage of this stupid scheme, your post is exactly like thousands of others in describing what an excellent investment solar can be - and paid for by all electricity customers in a levy on their electricity bill; so tenants in an all electric council flat will pay for a house owner to make a profit.


Early adopters are now getting around 50p(fifty pence) for every kWh they generate and will get that inflation linked for the next 20 years.


To add insult to injury to get those subsidies they don't even have to export a single kWh - they can use it all in their house.


We should congratulate the Government if they do end this scheme.