Feed-in-Tariff and Price per kWh export News

[sjaglin]

Hi,

I found this recent news :

feed-in tarif to go live next year and SSE at 28p/kWh export !!!! Can anyone confirm (SOurce = Solarsense UK). If that's true this is a real kick off at last for PV in the UK!

The much-discussed ‘feed-in tariff’, employed as a way of creating growth in the PV industry and installation rate across Europe, has finally arrived in the UK – almost.

The Government has introduced and passed an amendment to the Energy Bill in November 2008 which stipulates that a feed-in-tariff mechanism must be implemented in the UK by April 2010.

Stef

Rates for PV-generated electricty have just risen again.

The 2 best offers for exported rates of electricity generated by PV panels are:

    * Scottish and Southern Energy - now give 28 pence per unit exported. This is the best if you don't use a great deal of electricity.
    * Good Energy - now pay 15 pence per unit generated. This is the UK's 'greenest' energy company, and the best deal on offer if you don't think you will be exporting much electricity, or if you will be using a high percentage of what you generate.

This allows PV to give a return on investment of up to 4-6% - better than many less stable investments. This will further rise when the feed-in-tariff comes into force in April 2010. Please see further news item for details on this initiative.

[Ivan]

I'm with npower juice, and they pay me considerably more than 15p - I think it's 19p/kWh.

There is a balance between being paid a good price and being charged a hefty price. As most home generator sites will be net consumers, you've got to look at your overall costs/benefits.

[sjaglin]

Ummm, is that like the NHS's postcode lottery, npower pays me 15p a kWh....

Stef

[Richard Owen]

I'm with npower juice, and they pay me considerably more than 15p - I think it's 19p/kWh.

There is a balance between being paid a good price and being charged a hefty price. As most home generator sites will be net consumers, you've got to look at your overall costs/benefits.

I've just had a look at the nPower Juice website. It's quite confusing. For generation the rates are quite low, but they also seem to make some assumptions about exporting (even if you don't.) I couldn't work out what the effect of assuming I export 50% of what I consume. Perhaps it does make it up to 19p/KWh?

[Ted]

I think the nPower deal is that they assume, in the absence of an export meter, that you export 50% (wind) or 60% (PV) of what you generate, not what you consume.

[Ivan]

I'm at a distinct advantage there then, as I have an export meter.

Sjagin, are you forgetting the double ROCs which are awarded from the beginning of April (I think)? - that would add approx 4p/kWh

[Richard Owen]

The nPower Juice information on their website says they pay 12p/unit for PV electricity exported.

[Ivan]

I had a letter in the last couple of days - just got round to checking. Npower pay me 10p/kWh (quote: 'We're happy to inform you that the price remains at 10p/kWh'), and double ROCs, but I'd overestimated the value of their ROCs - it's 3.7p/kWh....which is the new figure defined by OFTEC or whatever they're called. So the government double the ROC and it's value drops from 4.5p to 3.7p. Does that mean that as well as being paid double ROCs, that the electric companies only need to source half as many?!

[Richard Owen]

Do they know that you're PV?

10p/unit is their wind tariff.

[sjaglin]

I didn't include the ROCs, indeed I don't really know how much I will get as I had my installation in December 2008 and so far I haven't have any cheques, nor bills, from npower. I also have an export meter.

Stef

[wookey]

I got email today from Ebico saying:

"We're delighted to announce that the payment available to solar 'microgenerators' has increased.  From the 1st of April, if you are an EquiPower customer anywhere in Great Britain, and you install, or have already installed, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and register the installation with us, we'll supply and fit an export meter free. The export meter measures the amount of electricity you generate but don't use yourself - that is, how much you export onto the electricity grid. If you have an Ofgem-approved gross generation meter installed and appoint our partner, Scottish and Southern Energy, as your agent for ROCs, then you'll now be paid 28p/kWh for this exported electricity - which will include payment for the ROCs.

For PV installations larger than 5kW even higher payments may be possible.                       
Call us on 0800 458 7689 to find out more."

Which sounds quite good to me.

[CeeBee]

The Ebico deal for solar PV export is precisely the same as Scottish & Southern (i.e. Southern Electric, or other related companies in different parts of the country). That's because it really _is_ SSE - I've had no dealings with Ebico at all regarding my export contract, despite being with Ebico for import (essentially Ebico Equipower/Equigas tariffs, administered by Southern Electric). Indeed from 1st April 2009, it's 28p/kWh exported. You have to hand any ROCs over to them - no extra payment for them.

Seeing as it was 20p/kWh for the latter part of last year, can't complain about 28p - bigger increase than just due to doubling of ROCs. You need to export a good proportion of your power for this scheme to be useful - you'd end up with nothing at all if you used all the power yourself.

[Ivan]

....so with the Ebico/SSE scheme, you don't get any ROCs paid on the basis of an approved 'total generation meter'?

[sjaglin]

Hi,

About the ROCs, I intend to produce 1700kWh a year, how many rocs will I get ? If I get only one, is the next 700 moved to the second year? Can I declare less and then declare 2000kWh?

Sorry, it's probably written on the small lines, but I can't find my glasses...

Stef (20 potatoes cooked in my solar cooker yesterday!)

 

[CeeBee]

....so with the Ebico/SSE scheme, you don't get any ROCs paid on the basis of an approved 'total generation meter'?

No - you don't (personally) get any. You must indeed have such a meter, but you must assign SSE as your ROC agent, and they will claim the ROCs for their own benefit. That's just the way this particular deal works. They might have other schemes,

About the ROCs, I intend to produce 1700kWh a year, how many rocs will I get ? If I get only one, is the next 700 moved to the second year? Can I declare less and then declare 2000kWh?

You'd two 2 ROCs for annual output in the range 1500-2499kWh. So that's OK then for the typical output from a 2-ish kWp system. That's 'old' ROCs - not yet sure what happens with the double-ROCs-for-PV from 2009 i.e. do you get 4 for 1500-2499kWh, or you still get 2 but they are special 'double' ones, or is it one per 500kWh. My guess if the first of those 3 options.

No, there isn't any transferring, and mid-declaring is no doubt an offence under some regulations. The whole scheme just isn't designed for us small generators. I think an appointed agent can add up the output of all stations they act for, so the rounding then isn't so silly.

And I suspect the red-tape is overwhelming OFGEM. Round about a year for them to accredit my system (plus many phone calls, and a complaint to my MP). They _still_ haven't written to say it's accredited (but I can see on the web), and I've _still_ not appointed SSE as agent because of the OFGEM delays. Fortunately SSE are understanding, and don't mind. They say "just sign any ROCs you get over to us as and when...". I've entered my first-year output on the OFGEM site, so I've two ROCs 'pending'. Not holding my breath as for how long it will take OFGEM to scrutinise the 1900 or so kWh from 'Pembroke House' - probably a jobsworth is ensuring that it's given the same attention as multi-MW wind farms etc.