Solar Energy - Feed-in-Tariff

Bren_daTsa

For those who have already had Solar Panels at home and generating solar energy feeding back to the grid, has anyone been thinking about why the energy companies selling their energy to the public at 3 times the normal price but we are selling our energy to them (the energy feed back to the grid) at only 15p per kWh?

I had emailed my energy supplier, British Gas, and got a "NO REPLY TO THIS EMAIL" back even though that email address wasn't "NO REPLY" email.

Reed_Richards

You get 15p per kWh; that's fantastic.  And, I think, multiples of what most people get.  Lucky you.

Heedtheadvice

The rates are not set by the energy companies.

They were set by the government at the rate applicable when your FIT was agreed to be paid. That included an annual inflation rise based, if I remember correctly on the CPI in September (?, correct me if that is not 100% true).

The rate FIT varied depending in theory upon the typical capital cost of solar installations. Started round about 50 pence per kWh, with no Export credit, and ended at about 4p but during that gradual decline a 50% of generation  export addition was introduced.

jimjames

Bren_daTsa said:

For those who have already had Solar Panels at home and generating solar energy feeding back to the grid, has anyone been thinking about why the energy companies selling their energy to the public at 3 times the normal price but we are selling our energy to them (the energy feed back to the grid) at only 15p per kWh?

I get paid 62p per kWh for everything I generate. That's way more than they charge me for import.

QrizB

Bren_daTsa said:

... has anyone been thinking about why the energy companies selling their energy to the public at 3 times the normal price but we are selling our energy to them (the energy feed back to the grid) at only 15p per kWh?

As has been mentioned already, that's the 20-year deal you agreed to when the panels were fitted and you applied for the FIT.

If you want to surrender your FIT export payments and switch to metered SEG, you're free to do so.

EricMears

I rather suspect OP is confusing "Feed in Tariff" with "Export Payments" ! 

Early adopters (from 10+ years ago) are paid 60p or so as a 'generation fee'  for every kWh they generate plus another 3p or so as an 'export payment'.  Over the years,  the 'generation fee' has gradually tapered down to zero but the 'export payment' increased.  New adopters now get nothing at all as a 'generation fee' but are free to strike a deal for an 'export payment' .  

As QrizB pointed out above,  anyone dissatisfied with the derisory 'export payment' they might be receiving under the FIT scheme can opt out of the export portion of the FIT scheme and instead sell their excess power to the highest bidder.  I for one am exceedingly unlikely to do that.