Don't forget the client !!!

[solawareness]

Hey All. My first post but would just like to remind people that the solar FIT should be a boon for all concerned and that the client is not just a veritable pot of gold to be accessed to line ones pockets. There is enough profitability in an install that a good panel can be offered , good workmanship given and good after sales care provided. Sadly there are a lot of ex double glazing/insurance salesmen now in Solar that are here just for the potential rewards and the client is the last person on their mind. I was speaking to a clown today who cut me off with YOU WANT TO BUY PANELS OR WHAT? What a thomas the tank. So much so that I've half a mind to name and shame his company.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Hey All. My first post but would just like to remind people that the solar FIT should be a boon for all concerned and that the client is not just a veritable pot of gold to be accessed to line ones pockets. There is enough profitability in an install that a good panel can be offered , good workmanship given and good after sales care provided. Sadly there are a lot of ex double glazing/insurance salesmen now in Solar that are here just for the potential rewards and the client is the last person on their mind. I was speaking to a clown today who cut me off with YOU WANT TO BUY PANELS OR WHAT? What a thomas the tank. So much so that I've half a mind to name and shame his company.

Welcome to the forum, and I think you have eloquently summed up the PV industry as it stands

 

[SRE]

Welcome to the forum, and I think you have eloquently summed up the PV industry as it stands

Some of the pv industry. Please don't tar everyone with the same brush.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Sorry SRE it would be an interesting statistic on how many customers would fit PV panels on their roof without the benefit of the FIT tax.

Remember PV is not a brand new industry but as been going very many years, it's just never taken off because there were never any FIT payments. I think it's a bit delusional to think that 95% of customer do not so much feel they are doing their bit, but what it is going to earn me.

 

[SRE]

Agree completely - doesn't mean we're all out to fleece and con people though. I've worked with pv now for 15 years, I'm well aware of the impact of Fit.

 

[malcolmsanford]

That is why I highlighted the part about the customer mate, I agree you and Briggs, Worcester BrainB, MarkC etc do seem to be genuine installers, and I take my hat off to you lads, as I feel that the PV industry as been robbed by the "schemes" again into making it far to complicated to be accredited than it should be.

I don't even mind the FIT's as such as an incentive, but it is passed onto the rest of the bill paying customers by the government/companies in higher prices, and I just feel that is wrong.

 

[SRE]

True, but then again I don't agree with where all my taxes go but there isn't a lot I can do about it. It's difficult to differentiate between the politicinas whichever party they stand for. Different argument for another day

 

[malcolmsanford]

Perhaps if the FITs were taken out of PAYE tax for example it would be a lot fairer as everyone will contribute, as it stands of now it is just a utilities bill payer that is taxed for the FITs, and often they are the vulnerable that struggle to pay their bills.

 

[SolarCity]

Perhaps if the FITs were taken out of PAYE tax for example it would be a lot fairer as everyone will contribute, as it stands of now it is just a utilities bill payer that is taxed for the FITs, and often they are the vulnerable that struggle to pay their bills.

I suppose the ultimate goal would be that the price of solar drops to the point where the FIT isn't required and those on lower incomes can still have it installed. There has to be an incentive to get people to install or, as you rightly say, no one would get it done. It is unfortunate that those on lower incomes will be the ones to miss out but I would hope that Green Deal loans should see to that.

 

[smiffy_99_uk]

So What do you guys think will happen end of March? do you think there will be any upeset regarding the review? or do you think it will just come down to 37p like they said?

 

[SRE]

I reckon they'll set it to go back to 10 year payback as was originally intended. I think we'll be quite in April (which we will all need after a hectic March) then it'll all kick off again - our customers through 10 yr payback was brilliant in Feb and I'm sure they will again next year.

 

[pjcomp]

...it is just a utilities bill payer that is taxed for the FITs, and often they are the vulnerable that struggle to pay their bills.

Someone who pays a utility bill isn't always vulnerable or poor. Every home and business in the country pays an electric bill. Some of these people are extremely wealthy, some are comfortable, some aren't. Can we please get away from this idea that anyone who installs PV on their roof and gets FiT (which is also paid for wind and other renewables, by the way) is taking the bread out of the mouths of widows and orphans. Look at how much additional profit the energy suppliers make whenever they put the price up, and compare that to the total FiT payout. I don't believe anyone is suffering because a few people are investing in a future energy industry.

PJ

 

[redmile-energy]

I believe the intention is to reduce the feed in tariff amount by 7% but that RPI will then be applied which will soften the blow, we all know that when FIT's first came out the Panel and inverter suppliers were making a tidy profit out of a mainly naive market of consumers and installers alike. Prices have come down sharply in the last few months, at the end of the day there is a huge multi sided market that has to stay competitive. The benefits to installers are that interest rates are to remain poor into 2013 (bank of england rates fixed) and inflation is running high which leads people to look for alternatives. I see your point about other energy users footing the bill for FITs but the UK has an unsustainable energy problem- alternatively we can build coal or nuclear power stations but the Tax payer will only end up footing the bill for these anyway, solar makes perfect sense.

 

[TonyL]

Let's not be too precious about this. PV in its current form is all about politics and money. Cowboys abound in every trade and its no surprise they exists here. Caveat emptor.

I used to work in the generation industry. PV, Wind, Wave etc are all utterly useless as reliable generation sources. Every single one of us buys a 13a, 230v supply, 24 x 365/forever, not just when the weather suits. You can't run an economy on any of the current alternative options.

We can build coal, oil or gas plant but it increases our carbon footprint. So the cost profile of a power station/electricity goes sky high. We can't build nuclear in time (or at all if the greens have their way).

Will FIT be reduced? 2 factors guide my thinking;

First, at the risk of grossly over simplifying it, Cons and LibDims can afford PV. Is the govt going to sacrifice those votes ? Me thinks not.

Second, UK plc hasn't reached the PV capacity that allows us to meet our carbon targets. UK plc still needs more PV.

Maybe FIT will go down when Liebour get back in and a true red socialist can punish the rich.

 

[MorganPVI]

In Brazil the price of wind energy is now lower than natural gas In Brazil Auction, Wind Power is Cheaper than Natural Gas | ThinkProgress Would it be like this without the subsidies? Probably not, one day Solar PV will stand on it's own two feet but slashing the FIT is not going to help.

It is very disapointing to see the double glazing sales techniques, but very unfair to tarnish the whole industry with that brush.