Export payments no longer apply for extensions as well as no FIT payments

[Gavin A]

Ofgem confirms the solar industry's fears by ruling that extentions to existing Solar PV systems are not only not eligible for FIT payments, but also aren't eligible for export payments.

It was clear from DECC's consultation response that anyone wishing to add extra solar PV capacity to a site with existing Feed-In Tariff (FIT) registered solar PV systems would no longer be eligible to receive Feed-In Tariff payments for the extensions. However it wasn't at all clear whether these systems would still be eligible for export payments, with several FIT suppliers we contacted last week saying that they assumed that such installations would still be eligible for export payments.

On page 25 of the Feed-In Tariff guidance for renewable installations v10, released today however, Ofgem clearly state that this is not the case ;-

3.77. Any extension to an accredited FIT installation that is commissioned on or after 15 January 2016 is not eligible to receive FIT support. This applies to both generation and export payments.

More on our take on this at the Leeds Solar blog

in short, bit of a kick in the teeth really, we had 3 customers lined up to have extensions put in based just on getting export payments, and that looked to me to be a sensible start on the gradual road to a zero FITs situation. Suppliers we'd contacted last week also thought they would still be able to make export payments to these installations, just not FIT payments.

 

[SibertSolar]

Thanks Gavin, does this apply to system above and below the 30kWp threshold for deemed 50% export?

 

[Gavin A]

Thanks Gavin, does this apply to system above and below the 30kWp threshold for deemed 50% export?

I think it applies to any systems that would want to be paid the guaranteed export rate. Nothing to stop them negotiating to be paid separately, eg Good Energy do a different export payment arrangement for above 30kWp systems, but for smaller systems the metering costs would be prohibitive I think.

 

[TedM]

From DECC's consultation response doc (my bold):

2.149 Government has decided that the right to receive a generation tariff for extensions should be removed for all installations.

No mention at all about export. But there is no way to pay a 50% deemed figure if the total generation meter is excluding the extension's generation in the first place. There would need to be a separate generation meter for the extension.

But what happens if there is already an export meter in place? How do you exclude the export fraction from the extension?

All these questions have not been answered. I drew OFGEM's attention to this omission in my feedback to their draft guidance documents back at the beginning of January.

 

[Gavin A]

yes, I'd checked all of that out, a few weeks ago, as well as asking several FIT suppliers, pretty bad that it's taken until 3 weeks after the scheme restarted for this to come out. We're on the verge of installing 2-3 of these systems on the basis that they'd still get export payments.

 

[whinmoor]

Did you get the G59s thru, Gavin? Hope the customers don't pull out on you after this setback.

Is there any point in fitting a generation meter for such an extension then? May as well save the cash?

Can also avoid using MCS panels and MCS cert?

In fact, is there any need to be follow MCS at all?

 

[Gavin A]

no g59's, one was a small system (our original one on my parents was only 900Wp), another was a 3 phase supply but only 1 phase used before.

 

[Worcester]

In fact, is there any need to be follow MCS at all?

In theory no, however we are seeing that in the domestic environment, Building Control officers are asking for MCS certified installations, as they come within the CPS and so don't have to worry about loading calcs, installation standards etc.