Non-FIT Solar Panel Tariff Options? (Hey, Energy Companies!)

RishiF

Hey everyone!

I have an unusual situation here. I've recently moved into a property which has solar panels, installed by the property developer back in 2013. The person who purchased the property from them, never registered for the Feed-in Tariff however, and under rules introduced in 2016, it's no longer possible to register any systems commissioned before 2016 to receive FIT payments, be it at the 'old' generous rates or the newer, less-generous rates.

As a result of this, I'm generating electricity and feeding it into the grid but not getting paid anything for this, which seems a trifle unfair. I'd like to find an option which enables me to generate some sort of income, even if it's not as generous as what I would've received under the FIT scheme.

I've noticed there are a couple of tariffs on the open market which DO pay consumers for the energy they feed back into the grid; these tariffs tend to be aimed at people who have a EV car or solar battery installed, and they pay for feeding electricity from these devices back to the grid. However, they do also state that solar panel users will be paid for any energy they export, since they have to opt-out from receiving FIT 'export' payments, in order to sign up for these special tariffs.

I've noticed that Octopus and OVO Energy both have tariffs based around EV and solar batteries, and I wondered if either of these can be signed up for if you DON'T have an EV car and/or solar battery? Do the tariffs actually require that you have either of these devices? Or can you sign up without either of these, and still receive payments for the solar energy you export?

It'd be nice to think that I could get something, at least, from these panels, other than the free electricity during the day; I work during the day all week, so I don't really have much opportunity to 'use' that free electricity. I'm happy to provide the energy to the grid, but I think it's only right, since they're taking and selling that energy on, to receive something for it myself.

Can anyone, perhaps from OVO or Octopus confirm either way what's possible here? Are there any other options I may have missed? Anyone else in a similar situation or been in a similar situation and found a way to benefit from the electricity they generate outside of FIT?

Many thanks!

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.


I suggest you 'Cut and Paste' your post into a new thread in the 'Green and Ethical' board of this forum. That is where all the Solar PV experts and enthusiasts contribute.

RishiF

Thank you for the kind greeting and the helpful suggestion.

Was this a good forum to post this in? I figure that it's an energy-tariff topic so this would be the logical place, but your suggestion makes sense too. I wasn't aware that I could cross-post to more than one forum, but since you've given the nod to the idea, I shall do that now! Thanks.