Solar PV specialist Access Renewables has declared that the price increase by Scottish Power and expected rise by other suppliers will make installing Solar even more attractive both now and in the future.

Currently those who install Solar PV systems onto property or land benefit from the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme, which pays the system owner for any energy generated. For homeowners in particular this can amount to between £1000 and £1500 per year on average. In addition to the annual income, the system owner also benefits from the electricity they generate – thus reducing the amount of electricity they buy from a traditional electricity supplier.

Therefore those who have installed a Solar PV system are protecting themselves from above-inflation rises in electricity prices – both now and in the future.

Sean Collier, Business Development Manager at Access Renewables said “The recent price increase sends out a clear message to consumers that above-inflation price rises are to become even more common-place within the energy sector, and all signs point to this increasing much further over the next few decades. We are finding that our customers want to protect themselves from such increases by installing Solar PV systems – particularly while the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme is in operation”

The specialist installer and distributor of Solar PV systems has reported a growth in sales over the past 18 months as a result of the scheme and increased awareness in the systems. The growth has resulted in several new positions being created in both areas of the business in recent months – and the company has won several contracts which expect to boost the company further.

Today the new coalition government announced that the Renewable Heat Incentive is to continue as planned – launching in 2011, following a similar style to the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme which was launched in April 2010.

The proposed Renewable Heat Incentive was originally developed under the Labour government, and the whole industry has been eagerly awaiting positive news from the coalition. The proposed scheme will reward owners of heat-generating renewable technologies for creating low carbon energy. Such technologies include solar thermal and heat pump systems.

Sean Collier, Business Development at Access Renewables said “We’ve been waiting for news for quite some time now – and the renewables industry can continue to flourish as it has done in the past 12 months and beyond following todays revelations. This latest announcement affects us directly, however other areas of the review also provide positive news which will help us further our growth plans for the medium to long term. We remain continually impressed with the support of the coalition government in developing a sustainable UK renewables industry, which will helps us create more jobs and investment in the future.”

The review also provided encouraging signs regarding the future demand for renewables, in particular the plans to build 150,000 new homes within the social housing sector in the next four years. The Stockton-based contractor already installs renewable energy systems into this sector and the announcement will mean that its clients can continue to install systems which will benefit residents whilst providing a long-term revenue stream for the social housing providers.

Furthermore, the company recently entered the solar equipment supply chain, as a distributor and reseller of solar PV equipment to other installers around the UK and Ireland. The increase in demand for Solar PV equipment will further benefit the company which has already reported success in the short time it has been operational. The company began its distribution operations in early 2010 and the company reports that the launch of the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme for Solar PV has boosted demand for its products and sales revenues are higher than anticipated.

In light of the spending review, Access Renewables are committed to an ambitious growth plan which for the large part remains unchanged, and we welcome the extension to extra funding for apprentices which may result in additional job prospects within the North East region.

Access Renewables are proud to be a part of NERA as a founding member company – having worked collaboratively with all other members and stakeholders since the initial concept was drafted. Sean Collier of Access Renewables, and NERA comments “The vision for NERA was to develop a collaborative approach to bidding for large installation contracts which usually fall to a single contractor who has a great deal of resource to carry them out successfully. By working with several companies of small to medium size from within our region to create a coalition, it creates a very real and very credible pool of talented companies to compete for work which we couldn’t necessarily successfully bid for individually.”

The Low Carbon Buildings Programme was managed by The Department of Energy and Climate Change and provided both homeowners and public sector buildings (such as schools and councils) with funds towards the installation of renewable technologies such as Solar and Heat Pumps. The decision to close the fund came at the same time as Government announced spending cuts throughout the public sector.

The closure of the scheme prematurely will result in a number of projects, both large and small to stall or be cancelled entirely, putting pressure on renewable energy companies throughout the UK. In February this year the scheme unexpectedly closed all applications for electricity-generating projects (such as solar PV and wind turbines) following the announcement of the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme – which is now in operation. The recent cuts now mean that heat-producing projects (such as heat pumps and solar thermal) are no longer eligible for funding. The previous Government was planning to implement the Renewable Heat Incentive from April 2011, which was to operate in a similar manner to the electricity-based cashback scheme. However the future of the scheme is still uncertain. Therefore the gap between now and April 2010 will be difficult for installers nationwide.

Sean Collier of Access Renewables comments “The industry has had a very strange 12 months, first with original cuts and funds running low last year, and now the closure of the entire LCBP scheme throws a lot of projects into doubt and difficulty. We will be working hard with customers and suppliers to seek alternative funding and assistance, and we will be campaigning relentlessly to ensure the Renewable Heat Incentive is launched early next year.”

The scheme website suggests that all existing applications prior to closure will still be processed, and any customer who have already received their grant offer will still be able to make a claim against it.

Many installers are currently struggling to obtain equipment, and in many cases installation lead times are in excess of 10 weeks. Here at Access Renewables, we’ve secured stock to ensure that all of our special offer systems from now until the end of this year will be installed within 21 days. And that includes the most popular shortage items such as inverters from Fronius and SMA.

We’ve announced this industry-leading guarantee as customers seek quicker ways to benefit from the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme. We’ll ensure new systems are installed to benefit from the expected Summer sunshine!

Visit the Homeowners section of our website to view the most recent offers. The offers are based on physical stock, and so are available on a first-ordered, first-served basis – so act quickly! We will be updating the offers as stock changes.

You may already know that towards the end of 2009 and early 2010, there was a shortage of solar modules. The situation improved and most manufacturers are reporting reasonable availability. However, the industry is now suffering from a shortage of solar components, in particulr solar inverters (which convert the energy from solar PV panels to use in the home or premises). This is as a result of rising demand which followed the announcement of the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme, extensions to subsidies in other European countries and a worldwide shortage of components required in the manufacturing process of Inverters.

Therefore, the majority of the UK’s solar PV installers are struggling to cope with the rise in demand, and sparse stocks. At Access Renewables we’ve been relatively fortunate in that we have planned ahead for the rise in demand and have secured a large amount of stock for our customers, which means we can often install systems more quickly than other suppliers – ensuring your system is installed before the summer!

We have stock of a wide range of solar modules from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi (PV-TD185MF5 module), Sharp (NU180E1 and NU185E1), Kyocera (KD210G2PU), Romag Powerglaz and Suntech STP210 to name a few. We also have frequent deliveries of Fronius, SMA, Diehl and Mastervolt inverters. And we’ve secured supplies for many months to come.

So, how is the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme directly affecting our customers? Well all customers are reporting quick success with dealing with the administration-side of things (we’ll take care of a large chunk of this), so the transition has been very smooth indeed.

If you are looking to install a Solar PV system, talk to us. We’ll get your system installed usually within a matter of weeks, meaning you’ll be enjoying the rewards of the summer sun much more quickly!

For more information, simply select your customer ground in the boxes above – you’ll be whisked away to the area which will be most relevant to you and your project. Alternatively, simply call us on 01642 606096.

The DECC has today confirmed that, under it’s Clean Energy Cashback Scheme, anyone who installs a solar PV system in the UK will be eligible to receive a set rate for each unit of energy that the system produces (kWh) plus an additional reward for any energy exported back to the National Grid.

All systems installed after 1st July 2009 will be eligible for the following rates:

• Solar PV – Under 4kw (retrofit) – 41.3p
• Solar PV – Under 4kw (new-build) – 36.1p
• Solar PV – 4-10kw  – 36.1p
• Solar PV – 10kw – 100kw  – 31.4p
• Solar PV – 100kw – 5mw – 29.3p

This means that for an average home installing 2kw of Solar PV onto their roof (at an assumed cost of £12,500) using a Microgeneration Certification Scheme-approved contractor would receive around £850 per year, plus reduce their energy bills by around £150.

The new scheme will be managed by OFGEM and will be administered through the customers current electricity provider. The rates are expected to be tax-free, and index-linked.

We are expecting this recent announcement to increase the demand for Solar PV systems in the UK, and so we are encouraging customers to contact us as soon as possible. On the 31st March 2010, the Low Carbon Buildings Programme grant scheme for homeowners will close, as the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme is to replace this. However, you can apply for the grant now (and have 3 months to install) and also benefit from the new scheme. Most homeowners will be eligible for a grant of £2000-£2500.

However, there is currently a shortage of Solar inverters and some solar modules across Europe, and the new scheme is likely to make the things worsen. So in order to meet the deadline for the grant, and to ensure you can have a system installed in time we really stress that you should contact us without delay.

As an expanding business involved in the supply and installation of Solar PV systems, Access Renewables are delighted to receive confirmation of the new rates and the commitment to the industry shown by DECC and the Government. This new package will provide the basis on which we can expand as a business - as levels of trade increase, so too will our company in terms of employees, abilities and strength. Sean Collier of Access Renewables comments: “The new figures seem fair and in-line with other EU countries. This should provide a real incentive to homeowners, businesses and other organisations to install systems for which they will be rewarded for financially, and not forgetting the non-financial rewards of creating green energy of their own. The expected increase in installations will enevitably result in more jobs in our business and the industry in general.”

Link to the DECC’s press release: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn10_010/pn10_010.aspx

But we are disappointed to report that an announcement has yet to be made (at time of writing) and it looks likely that we will not see one this side of the new year festivities. This is obviously a great disappointment for us, our customers and clients, and our suppliers and we will continue to monitor the situation very closely.

If you wish to receive notification when the details are announced, simply sign-up to our newsletter at the top of the page and we’ll send you a very quick email with the details in.

The news was posted on the scheme website on 30th November 2009, and it means that any not-for-profit organisation who is planning on applying for the LCBP grant for Solar PV will no longer be able to achieve 50% funding from this scheme. All other technologies, including heat pumps, remain unaffected by this announcement and applications are being processed as usual.

Scheme now closed to Solar PV applications for public sector

Additionally, this recent announcement does not affect private grants for homeowners and the grant if upto £2500 to install solar PV on private properties will remain available until April 2010.

Today’s announcement isn’t the first time the scheme has closed after running out of funding. Earlier this year the scheme closed and the Department of Energy and Climate Change released further funding to ensure the industry would not grind to a halt. However, in April 2010 the government-led Clean Energy Cashback Scheme is to come into force which will provide a long term incentive to install renewable technologies such as solar PV and wind turbines. The new scheme is designed to replace the capital grants from Low Carbon Buildings Programme. Therefore we are not expecting the DECC or LCBP to announce any further funding for Solar PV projects.

Not-for-profit organisations are invited to discuss alternative methods of funding Solar PV installations with us to ensure there are no disruptions to project plans. We have access to alternative schemes and financing methods which will assist with the capital costs associated with the installation.

We will post any further news and announcements as they develop. For more information, visit the Low Carbon Buildings Programme website: http://www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk/

Sharp NU180E1 affected

The availability of Solar modules throughout the UK and Europe is being disrupted as a result of changes to Feed-in tariffs in other European countries, resulting in a spike in demand which has depleted UK stocks of a wide number of modules.

As a major installer of solar photovoltaic systems in the UK, Access Renewables are working with key suppliers to ensure the disruption is minimal during the shortage period, which is expected to return to normal levels in January.

However, we are urging customers who are looking to install systems between now and April 2010 – in particular those who may be eligible for grant funding from The Low Carbon Buildings Programme – to contact us to plan as far in advance as possible, to ensure that we can allocate sufficient levels of stock.

In April 2010, homeowners will no longer be able to receive the £2000-£2500 grant available to install Solar Photovoltaic systems in their homes as a result of the government’s Clean Energy Cashback scheme coming into force, which is expecting to reward homeowners with between 36.5 and 46.5p for each unit they generate. For systems installed now, and before April 2010, customers will be able to benefit from both schemes.

For public-sector clients, including schools, housing associations, charities, local authorities and government departments a grant of 50% may still be available if applications are made without delay. Again, these clients will also be eligible for the Clean Energy Cashback scheme starting in April 2010. All systems which are funded by The Low Carbon Buildings Programme must be installed by the end of March 2010.

In repsonse to the stock shortages and changes to funding schemes, Access Renewables have launched a new offer for Homeowners wishing to benefit from both schemes, and are offering high quality systems at market-leading prices by booking installations in advance. We’ve also reduced the deposit required from customers on these very special deals to just £250 rather than the standard rates of between 10% and 25%.

For more information on any of our systems, special offers orthe range of products and services we provide – use our contact form or call us on 01388 606024.