Solar panel prices continued their drop in June and July and have dropped now over 60% since early 2011. A 4kWp system (16 solar panels) that used to cost £15.000 is currently available for around £6.000. On a South-facing roof in these panels will pay back about £1.000 per year, which is a return of 18%. Due to these price drops, solar panels still provide an excellent return despite the Feed-in-Tariff subsidy cuts. Continue reading
The Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) rate of 16 pence per kWh for 20 years is valid from today the 1st of August. Despite cuts in the Feed-in-tariff, it still provides about your financial return over 25 years. And since solar panel prices have dropped significantly in the last year, your return on investment is just as good now as it was on earlier Feed-in-Tariff rates. Continue reading
Based on the DECC numbers of last week, CompareMySolar looks ahead and provides a forecast of the expected number of solar installations. Since the Feed-in-tariff will be cut from August 1st, another mini-boom of installations is expected in the next two weeks. Continue reading
Now the new Feed-in-Tariffs have been announced to be valid from August, it’s time to look at some of the details of the government announcement. One of the key ideas is automatic degression (reduction) on a 3-month basis. The amount of degression would be based on the volume of installations in the previous 3-month period. However, this could mean further Feed-in-Tariff cuts of more than 50% in the coming year.
Solar panel prices dropped over 50% since early 2011 according to CompareMySolar research. A 4kWp system (16 solar panels) that used to cost £15.000 is currently available from £6.500. On a South-facing roof in these panels will pay back about £1.200 per year, which is a return of 19%. Solar panels provide an especially great return before the Feed-in-Tariff subsidy cuts this August. Enter your postcode now to select your roof and compare solar panel prices from local installers. Continue reading
The Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) rate of 21 pence per kWh for 25 years is still valid in June and July this year. From August 2012 the rate will drop 5 pence towards 16 pence per kWh and it will only be valid for 20 years. This means your total Feed-in-Tariff payments over 25 years will be 40% lower from August. Because solar panel prices have dropped significantly in the last year, June and July will be excellent months to install solar. So beat the FiT cuts and enter your postcode now. Continue reading
After reading an article in the Telegraph this Wednesday called: ‘When free solar panels can prove an expensive mistake.’ we’d like to stress and summarize the potential problems when installing solar panels for free on your roof. Inability to sell your house or to get a (new) mortgage are the main problem. Continue reading
We previously discussed the top 10 Global Solar Panel manufacturers as a safe choice when selecting your best solar panel. The rationale was that reputable companies will survive for the next 5-10 years hence you as a consumer can actually claim your warranty if needed. However, the share price of the top 10 global manufacturers has been dropping by a huge 80% since the start of 2011. Continue reading
With the UK solar panel Feed-in-Tariff arguably in quieter water now the Supreme Court appeal is rejected and the EPC ratings just came into place, it’s time to look forward. The general expectation is a further Feed-in-Tariff subsidy cut in July 2012 from 21 towards 16.5 pence, due to limited installations in March and July. However, the first three days of March could cause a more severe drop towards 13.6 pence – which could mean a cut of another 35%! Continue reading
Global solar panel installations will grow by between 4 and 21 percent in 2012, according to a new report from IMS Research. Global solar panel installations will grow from 27 GW in 2011 to 28-33 GW in 2012. These growth expectations are lower that previous years, and hence the solar panel manufacturer overcapacity situation will remain. Continue reading