Kidderminster-based renewable energy firm Eco2Solar has pulled
out all the stops to commission more than 200 domestic solar PV
installations qualifying for the 43.3p feed in tariff rate before
the deadline announced by the Government in October.
The announcement that the tariff - which is paid to householders
for every kWh of electricity they generate from solar panels - was
to be more than halved from 43.3p to 21p for installations
registered after December 12th prompted a flurry of enquiries and
orders at the company, which geared up its operation to install and
commission as many as possible during the six-week window before
the deadline expired.
The company generally handles around 50 installations per month
but in the six weeks between the announcement and the deadline, the
number of domestic projects rose to 200.
These, together with the commercial projects completed by
Eco2Solar during the period - which included installations for
Stratford upon Avon hospital, a new social housing development at
Russell's Hall, Dudley and the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in
Birmingham - mean that Eco2Solar was responsible for the
installation of over 3,000 solar panels representing 700kW of
energy in the six weeks from October 31st.
This is the equivalent of over 300 tonnes of CO2 annually - or
the equivalent of planting 1,500 trees every year. It is estimated
that householders and building owners will earn nearly
£200,000 between them in FIT every year.
The achievement was a complete team effort, said Eco2Solar
managing director Paul Hutchens.
"Since the FITs announcement, it has been a very busy period for
everyone at Eco2Solar and this could not have been achieved without
the hard work and dedication of the entire Eco2Solar team," he
said.
"It's important to realise that whilst the old 43.3p FIT gave
customers an excellent return on their investment, Eco2Solar have
already put together an offering for the new 21p/kWh FIT rate
proposed by the Government in a recent review of solar
subsidies.
"The new offering will provide an average 10% return on
investment for new purchasers, alongside an average 10 year payback
period*, making it a fantastic investment opportunity."
*Based on a 4kWp, south facing, 30° solar PV
installation