Solar panel installation was once thought rather an expensive addition to a home that may – or may not – help cut back just a bit on the utilities bills. But with the often high upfront costs, it hardly seemed a sensible option when it came to deciding on home improvements!
This was an issue for the world Governments because of the problem of climate change. Governments and leaders were coming under pressure to cut carbon emissions and were making big and ambitious pledges to do so.
The UK Government promised to cut its carbon emissions by 60% by the year 2050, a pledge made at the Copenhagen Climate Convention in 2009. However, only 1% of the population of the UK had any sort of solar energy generation at home at that time.
This gave rise to the generous feed in tariff which came into force in April 2010. The UK feed in tariff means that people who have solar panels installed and connected to the grid are paid for every single unit of electricity they generate by solar mean. This includes every single unit they even use themselves! Add to that the fact that units not used by the family (if for example the house is empty while the household is on holiday) are sold back to the grid at an even higher rate, and the earning potential is appealing. The rates paid for the electricity units are much higher than usual, accounting for the fact that generating solar electricity is more expensive than generating fossil fuel electricity.
The generation of solar electricity also leads to lower utilities bills for the household, making it more appealing still. And another financial bonus is that solar panel installation can add up to 10% to the value of your home. This means the Government has successfully made solar panels an investment rather than a massive expense.
Learn all about Solar Panel Installation
More From Carbonfeet
- Residential Solar Power – Solar Power For Homes
- Alternative Energy:Solar Panels
- Solar Panels and Solar Power for the Home
Carbonfeet Recommends
- The Wisdom Behind Using Solar Panels For Your Home (SolarEnergyMaven)
- Solar installation guide (SolarEnergyMaven)
Posted in 
Tags:
The coalition government have protected incentives for domestic solar pv installations by restricting feed in tariff levels for systems above 50kW. No is the perfect time to invest in solar panels before the FIT levels drop in April 2012.