The new tariff - a suggestion

[SolarCity]

Okay, I'm sure by now we've all done some sums and we're all coming to the same conclusions. We CAN make solar work even at 21p BUT only on the ideal south facing, unshaded roof. And I'm sure we're all aware how rare that particular set up actually is. Therefore, these cuts are effectively pushing the SE-E and SW-W installs out of the market.

I would argue that this isn't a good idea as the East and West facing roofs do offer a very useful addition to the energy mix. A problem that Germany is facing is the surge in electricity generated at around midday as all of the south facing roofs are operating at full potential. Clearly, anything that could 'flatten' this curve would be beneficial to the overall green energy picture. This is where East/West facing installs come into the equation. Obviously, an east facing install will start peaking earlier than a south facing install and a west facing install will peak later. Get enough of these and you start to get a much better energy production curve - less strain on the grid and a lot more useful.

Which bring me to my suggestions.

1. Why not link FIT to system size rather than yield.

Benefits: East/West facing systems become viable again.
The potential customers increase dramatically.
Flattening the energy production curve.

Potential problems: Open to abuse from unscrupulous homeowners and installers (God knows there are a lot of them about.)

2. Raise the FIT for SE and SW installs and another level for E and W facing installs.

Benefits: As above, yet reducing the scope for abuse.

Potential problems: Abuse of the system is still possible if a surveyor suddenly loses the ability to use a compass correctly.


A possible solutions to the potential abuse? Another license for PV installers that permits them to install, and apply, for the higher rates of FITs. They would have to prove regular competence that they can survey accurately and will lose their license if they are found to have abused the system - swiftly.

A possible compromise?

 

[series530]

An interesting idea. The problem though is that the FIT should really be linked to what a customer (in principle) returns to the grid. The energy returned is what drives the electrical industry and not the theoretical capacity of a system. If we were to be paid based upon system size there would be nothing to stop people sticking really cheap inefficient panels up on shaded or partially shaded roofs with little or no harvest and then creaming a comparative fortune for the pleasure of doing so.

Far better, I think, for scientists to invest time and effort into efficient energy storage solutions so that power produced in the middle of the day could be stored for use in the evenings. I've no idea how this could be achieved. If I did, I would have retired by now.

 

[solarsparkie]

The fit reductions have encouraged the use of cheap panels already nes pas mon series

An interesting idea. The problem though is that the FIT should really be linked to what a customer (in principle) returns to the grid. The energy returned is what drives the electrical industry and not the theoretical capacity of a system. If we were to be paid based upon system size there would be nothing to stop people sticking really cheap inefficient panels up on shaded or partially shaded roofs with little or no harvest and then creaming a comparative fortune for the pleasure of doing so.

Far better, I think, for scientists to invest time and effort into efficient energy storage solutions so that power produced in the middle of the day could be stored for use in the evenings. I've no idea how this could be achieved. If I did, I would have retired by now.

 

[TedM]

If we were to be paid based upon system size there would be nothing to stop people sticking really cheap inefficient panels up on shaded or partially shaded roofs with little or no harvest and then creaming a comparative fortune for the pleasure of doing so.

The US has suffered from this syndrome with wind turbines. Unscrupulous manufacturers producing a machine capable of a few Watts being sold as 3kW. Result initially was that thousands of people put up turbines that never generated anything but which also cost them nothing as they got the full purchase price back in grant money. It all then fell apart once discovered.

Far better, I think, for scientists to invest time and effort into efficient energy storage solutions so that power produced in the middle of the day could be stored for use in the evenings. I've no idea how this could be achieved. If I did, I would have retired by now.

Vanadium Redox Batteries - infinitely scalable solution. I've no idea why it hasn't caught on more widely.

 

[Richard Burns]

Vanadium Redox Batteries - infinitely scalable solution. I've no idea why it hasn't caught on more widely.

Thanks been looking for that for years since I last saw it.

 

[moggy1968]

hydrogen fuel cells is da future I believe

 

[Earthstore]

Garlic bread, now that's the future

 

[moggy1968]

right now whisky and ginger is about to become my future!!

 

[tm.electrics]

Hi i install these panels in northern ireland, the tarif is 17p . ive had one a day for last two weeks obviously some running into two days due to time of year and pretty steady before that. jan is pretty much booked up with tehe grant running out at the end of it. there is still plenty of people ringing up about it ,30 customers who are very keen to get it in even though the grant is gone so i would try to stay positive and believe that you guys will stil be busy with whatever the new tarif is.

 

[Yanman]

I have been thinking along the same lines as series530. We pay around 13p per Kw to buy our electric but sell it for only 3p. If the FIT has to be cut because of funding then some of that money should come back out of the big 6 coffers. They put up their generating prices so should microgenerators. When the day comes that we can economically store the generated power during daylight hours we will and use it all rather than selling for 3p.

 

[series530]

I thought that vanadium redox was a new name for a flux capacitor or an infra sonic sub muting filter. Interesting that this sort of technology exists. I wonder how cost effectively it could be introduced and what the cell size would need to be for viability? The concept of several hundred localised PV generators contribution toward a large VR battery in the town sounds like an interesting idea.