The solar industry has taken a battering in recent months. The Government has done it’s best to reduce the FIT tariff making it more difficult for solar panel investments to pay for themselves over a medium length of time. Those are the predictions any way. But as more research is done into the revised figures, it seems that it’s not all doom and gloom.
I got sent an email on 25th July from a company called Solar And Green. There is the typical tacky email layout with lots of bright colours and images. But the most important bit if the example figures they have given. These figures below are what they say is based on a 68 panel installation on a business premises:
Initial investment: £18,900.00
Annual return: £3313.98
Total Investment Earnings With Inflation: £131,831.15
Average Return On Investment: 27.9%
Payback Time: 5.2
A quick glance of those figures shows that the solar industry still has some life left in it. What I would like to know is how they have come to get their figures. I am a bit skeptical of the annual return of over £3k. That does seem quite a lot. Maybe the business they used this example from had a high and un-environmentally friendly energy policy? Who knows. But if these figures are to be trusted, it does demonstrate that there is still a decent opportunity to get involved in solar, or at the very least to make a solar investment on your business premises.
The UK solar industry is now an established and a growing one. With green and clean energy becoming ever more important in our economy and an industry that is always going to grow in the future, solar power has to be part of that. I still believe that it has a big part to play and that window companies, once they have got the right staff, training and infrastructure, it can be another profitable string to the bow.
Surprised unit manufacturers don’t start knocking them out !!
Same here! They seem the most naturally placed out of all of us to start making the panels.
looked at it, some clever little so and so at cambridge uni approached me as he can make clear solar panels, and wanted me to make into dgu’s only problem is they are so restrictive size wise to get any kind of benefit, not many people want windows 1100 x 1300 per pane, as i understand it most panels are brought in at set sizes from other countries with long (for window industry) lead times, i reckon sparkies with the solar qualifications are best placed to take advantage
Hi Jamie
The solar panels in double glazed units is an interesting one. You are right that most people do not want units as big as 1100 x 1300. But maybe this sort of technology would be good as part of a funky new build? Lots more people are building eco-homes. Maybe a home with it’s windows designed to incorporating this sort of technology would work?
Just a thought!
Thanks for your comment!
i reckon it could work on new build office towers or a eco designed house with frames designed to take that size but it would be a very niche market, the guy wanted to use them for conny roofs but the sizes made it impossible in my view, as you would only be able to use in lean 2’s and then would need joining bars (leaky) etc to acheive any decent projection from the property, the only spot i thought of where they could work well at the sizes available would be shed or green house roofs but who would… Read more »
I heard that in the states they are printing them on paper