Feed-in Tariff for dummies
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If you’re new to the Feed-in Tariff, it can seem a bit confusing. We chatted to John Hill, Electrical Project Manager at Ecotricity about his solar panels and how it all works.
Please introduce yourself and explain what you do – I started at Ecotricity in January 2015 as the Solar Delivery Manager, and have since moved to the role of ‘Electrical Project Manager’ as part of the engineering and construction team. Electrical projects cover everything from project management of the new 132kV substation for our Alveston wind farm, battery storage connections, new electricity supplies and generation development for all parts of the business as well as supporting our Operations & Maintenance teams.
Give us a brief description of how our Feed-in Tariff works – Once you’ve got your solar panels installed by an MCS accredited installer, tell them that you’d like to register the solar system with Microtricity. They’ll fill in the technical parts of the application for you. All you need to do then is sign the relevant system owners declarations on the application, and once registered you’re ready to start receiving FIT payments for everything that your solar system generates for the next 20 years. As a bonus you also get paid for half of the electricity generated on top of the FIT payments.
Why did you decide to get solar panels? I wanted to take direct action to fight climate change and generate clean green electricity on my own roof. It was also a good way of saving money and contributing in a small way towards a global movement.
What has been the best part of having solar panels? On a lovely sunny day (like most of the days we have had this summer) watching my electricity meter stand still – that means we are generating more than we are using.
Was it easy to sign up for the Feed-in Tariff? Yes, the process was easy to follow and the people at Microtricity were really helpful if I had any questions.
Are there any challenges to having solar panels? It is easier if you own the building and have available roof space. Ownership afterwards is no problem at all, and meter readings and FIT payments are all taken care of by Ecotricity.
Would you recommend getting solar panels to other people? Definitely, a few friends have followed the recommendation and enjoy washing clothes and charging batteries with sunshine.
Fancy generating your own electricity at home? Find out more about the Feed-in Tariff and register here.
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