REI Mar-Apr 2012 - Renewable Energy Installer

A different approach
Solar energy experts say it is cheaper for solar PV owners to use their harvested
power rather than selling it back to the grid under the current arrangements.
Mark Elliot, Energeno, explains
he current political and legal
T
uncertainty surrounding solar
PV Feed-in Tariff (FiT) payments
is overshadowing the practical
benefits that householders can derive from
their rooftops, according to energy monitoring
experts Energeno.
The company, a global distributor of the
Wattson Solar Plus energy monitor, argues
that solar PV users should focus upon the
benefits they can receive today, rather
than concern themselves with activities in
Parliament and the High Court.
Tips for homeowners for getting a better
financial return on their investment is to
strategically use the electricity generated,
rather than selling the excess back to the
What would make your
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grid, although the export tariff 3.1p/kwh was
viewed by many as a longer-term benefit to
homeowners.
Mark Elliott, a director at Energeno, says
homeowners can save more money this way.
“Those looking to make the best returns
on their solar investment should make use
of the harvested electricity generated, rather
than selling the excess back to the grid. Use
high power appliances when the sun shines
rather than at night, switch on dishwashers,
washing machines and storage heaters for
daytime rather than night,” he says.
Elliott adds: “Selling energy back to the
grid was a central plank of the argument
to invest, and it still can be. However,
for householders to get faster and better
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pay-back, they must take true control of
their outgoings and have a more intimate
knowledge of the household’s heavier energy
use, such as winter heating and drying.
Tapping into any harvested excess to offset
that cost, is a better use of the free energy.
“Irrespective of the solar PV FiT, these
are practical householder tips that can help
consumers maximise the leverage from
their investment. New investors must also
remember that they can benefit from the huge
reductions in the cost of solar panels – up to
70 per cent in some instances. People smile
when the sun shines and this combination of
cost reduction strategies must be taken into
consideration for the bigger picture view of
the renewable industry,” he concludes.
SOLO PV
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