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.

Solar panels have been installed onto the roof of All Saints Church on Dunotter Avenue, Eaglescliffe as part of a wider project which helps the local community save energy, money and carbon emissions. Members of the Community Action for Energy Eaglescliffe (CAfEE), an outreach group from the church, planned the solar installation alongside other initiatives in association with The Energy Saving Trust and Stockton Borough Council.

The project was successful in obtaining funding from the EDF Energy Green Fund, The Low Carbon Buildings Programme and the Congregational and General Insurance Charitable Trust following around two years of planning by churchwarden John Doherty.

Sean Collier of Access Renewables comments “We are delighted that the church is now generating their own power after a tough 18 months of raising funds by Mr Doherty. We have worked with him for quite some time to get this project off the ground, assisting with funding applications and working to install the system – which is believed to be the largest of its kind in Teesside. The system not only benefits the church by reducing electricity bills but also serves part of the wider community to promote climate change and energy issues – which is the overall aim of the CAfEE project.”

The installation team at Access Renewables installed fifty-four Sharp solar PV modules which should provide almost 8000kwh of electricity each year, and reducing 112 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the system. The company are also supplying a display unit which records these totals for all visitors and church users to see.

Mr Collier adds “This project is a great example of what can be achieved through community participation in energy issues. As the most local installer to the church, we are delighted that the installation was carried out by local labour and solar modules from a UK manufacturer.”

The project, funded by the Low Carbon Communities Challenge, aims to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from housing stock and public buildings in the Easterside area of Middlesbrough. One of the ways of doing so includes the installation of renewable energy systems such as Solar PV.

Access Renewables will be installing solar photovoltaic systems into seven  properties in the coming months, which will provide electricity generated from the sun. Any excess will also be fed into the National Grid.

Sean Collier, Business Development Manager at Access Renewables said: “We are delighted to be working with Middlesbrough Environment City and Middlesbrough Council on this pioneering project which is happening right on our doorstep. We’ll be making a positive difference to local residents and the local community as a whole through carbon reductions.”

In recent weeks the North East was announced as a poor performing region in terms of the number of renewable energy systems being installed – but Access Renewables are confident that the region is improving. Sean Collier comments “The project in Middlesbrough is just one of many we are working on in the region, so I’m sure the region will soon be benefiting from more installations. We feel that the region is behind others because of poor awareness and a myth that systems don’t work as well in the colder North East. This is complete nonsense – and any professional installer will be happy to demonstrate just how effective renewables are in the North East.”

Click to go to MBC Eco-Easterside page

Middlesbrough’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor David Budd, is also a ward councillor for Easterside. He said: “We’re delighted that a local Tees Valley company will be installing this renewable energy equipment. Easterside is pioneering some imaginative ways to cut carbon emissions, such as these solar photovoltaic systems, and we anticipate more will be coming onstream in 2011.”

Work is expected to begin on the Solar PV installations in Middlesbrough by the end of the year.

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Village Primary School, Thornaby CE School and Harewood Junior School now have a 1.08kw system installed after Stockton Borough Council successfully received funding from the npower Climate Cops programme which promotes energy issues amongst youngsters. Each system comes complete with a visual display unit which demonstrates the system performance and carbon savings.

Sean Collier of Access Renewables comments “This is the second lot of schools within the Stockton-On-Tees area which we have successfully installed an educational Solar PV system in. The systems are very popular with pupils, staff and visitors and highlight the effects a Solar PV system can have on energy in schools and the home.”

The systems were installed by Stockton-based company Access Renewables, and consisted of modules from North-East Solar PV manufacturer Romag.

Having already achieved MCS status for Solar Photovoltaic installations with BRE in 2009, we decided to switch to ELECSA to provide our assessments for 2010, which means we can continue to provide quality Solar PV installations to customers.

The assessment procedure assesses our quality management systems, installation standards and personnel training which ensures that all installations carried out by us will be eligible for the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme (also known as Feed-in tariff scheme) and the forthcoming Renewable Heat Incentive expected to be launched in April 2011.

The Solar PV and Solar Thermal accreditations join our existing ELECSA Microgeneration Certification Scheme accreditation for Heat Pumps. Karen Jones, Managing Director of Access Renewables comments “The MCS scheme is a vital part of installing renewables in the UK and so we are delighted to be awarded accreditation for a further 12 months. It demonstrates our commitment to a high level of care, quality and satisfaction”.

In addition to the MCS accredition, the company has also recently undergone a routine audit by the Renewable Energy Association’s REAL Assurance Scheme which audits the compnies activities in Sales and Marketing.

Modules mounted in field with recycled plastic framing system near to Whitby, N.Yorks.

Solar panels mounted in a field within the park boundary have been installed and are now producing electricity using the sun, generating around £1,500 in revenue for the system owners each year, which equates to over £37,000 over the expected system lifetime.

High-efficiency solar photovoltaic panels were mounted using a highly-durable, recycled plastic framing solution usually used on flat roofs, which is thought to be the first installation of it’s kind in the UK.

Sean Collier of Access Renewables comments “The client came to us with a request to install a system  in their nearby field. The field had a large gradient so we worked with a local groundwork contractor to propose a solution to the client. We assessed the options and the recycled plastic framing system was identified as the most ideal. It’s originally designed for flat roof installation, but we adapted it to suit the unusual conditions of the field.”

The idea of using solar modules in a field is very common across the continent but uptake in the UK has so far been rather slow. It’s particularly beneficial to farmers and land owners who are looking at investing into the equipment. All it takes is a relatively small area of land which could reap excellent benefits as a result of the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme. Under the scheme, owners of solar PV systems benefit from an excellent financial rewards which are guaranteed for the life of the system. Sean Collier adds “Everyone is waking up to Solar because of the incentives. There is a huge uptake in the North East alone which we are ideally placed to serve. They provide a guaranteed source of income for 25 years – it’s a very attractive proposition and in most cases beats putting your money into savings or pensions.”

Access Renewables is pleased to report an upturn in the number of enquiries and systems being installed since the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme went live on 1^st April 2010.

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

£250 off selected systems

We are pleased to announce a January Sale of our own on our three most popular Solar PV systems for homeowners. We already have some fantastic package prices available on the Mitsubishi 185w systems between 1.48kw and  2.22kw which we have publicised for the past 3 or 4 months now – however we are also offering a further £250 off these systems, which means you can now get the 8 panel Mitsubishi PV-TD185MF5 system, fully-installed for only £6,749.99 inclusive of VAT and a grant of £2500.

But you better hurry! You must make an enquiry to us by the end of January and also apply for grant funding from The Energy Saving Trust by 31st March 2010 – after this time the grant will no longer be available! Plus, you’ll benefit from the new feed-in tariff from April 2010 on all of our systems.

To see more information on these offers, click HERE to go straight to our special offer page. Remember this is only for domestic customers in England and Wales – if you are in Scotland the grant amount differs (and it’s actually better!).