REI Mar-Apr 2012 - Renewable Energy Installer

My working week
Gale force winds, traffic jams and beating the FiT deadline
Monday
After receiving an early morning pep
talk from my Dad and mentor Tony, my
first port of call is to see Bruce Cross
at panel manufacturer GB Sol to run
through the week’s programme of work.
After allotting the solar kits to specific
properties and double checking that all
inverters are matched correctly, it’s time
to head out to site to run through any
issues with my foreman before heading
back to the office to register all of last
Friday’s installations with the MCS.
Tuesday
With all this week’s installs currently on
track, I take the opportunity to postinspect
last week’s work and attend a
meeting with a tenant to explain how
he will benefit from generating his own
green electricity. Having worked with
several housing associations over the
years, we as a company understand the
importance of helping combat escalating
energy bills and find it gratifying to see
people’s lives improve having installed
solar PV on their home.
98 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
Wednesday
With the finishing line now in sight, I head
straight out to site in order to ensure that
everything is going according to plan. With over
450 installs under our belt over the past year,
I am delighted to see the teams installing so
efficiently under mounting pressure. Working in
partnership with Cadwyn Housing Association,
we all understand the financial ramifications
of failing to beat the Feed-in-Tariff reduction
deadline and are desperate not to let anyone
down.
Thursday
Have I spoken too soon? Yesterday’s growing
confidence is quickly shattered as we are
greeted with a double whammy that threatens to
turn the lights out on our solar mission.
Firstly, the weather proves just how cruel
a mistress she can be by battering us with gale
force winds that mean we cannot install the
solar panels during the afternoon. Secondly, after
seeing more traffic than the M25 during rush
hour, the MCS website decides it can’t cope any
longer and stops us registering any more installs.
This is not good. As you will no doubt already
know, the MCS certificate provides the gateway
Who: Marc Payne, AP Electrical and
Renewable Energy
What: AP Electrical & Renewable Energy
is a family-run business based in Cardiff
with Marc at the helm alongside his father
Tony and brother James. The company
directly employs 18 engineers who help
provide electrical and solar solutions to
their nationwide client base.
A family affair: Marc Payne runs the business
alongside his father and brother
to the FiT and without it… Well, let’s not even go
there! With no alternative but to be patient and
pray for some divine intervention, what better
time to go and see Father Christmas with my
three-year-old niece Evie?
Friday
We’re back on track! Its 1.20am and everything
is registered up to date. Today is a big day and
the clock is ticking. I spend most of Friday up on
the roof, pitching in to make sure that we don’t
trip up at the final hurdle.
At 3.30pm it’s all over. The last installation
has been registered and we are home and dry.
I speak to Bruce at GB Sol to thank him for his
technical (and sometimes emotional) support
and after some mutual back slapping, we
immediately turn our attention to the postapocalyptic
era of the 21p FiT.
With panel prices falling in line with a
sensible return of investment, we discuss how
we can still make solar PV an attractive option
to our clients. Also turning our attention to the
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), we discuss
some further in-house training at GB Sol to aid
us in our preparation to become MCS accredited
and begin installing solar thermal in early 2012.