Solar Gain? We are one of 300 households in the UK who in the past year installed a micro generation system using photovoltaic solar panels (Carbon cutting couple go solar, Evesham Journal February 22, 2007).
A year on we are taking stock of our investment. Our goal was to generate 60 per cent of our electricity. After a summer of little sun and a gloomy winter we faced this task with some trepidation. Over the year we generated 2300 kwh; we imported just under 3000 kwh. This equates to nearly 80 per cent of our imported electricity. This sounds like good news, doesn't it?
We also saved 1400 kg of CO2. We were one of the lucky few to get a 50 per cent government grant for the installation. But the government pulled the plug on this popular scheme and last year cut the maximum grant to £2500. So much for the government's green credentials!
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What is particularly frustrating is that in Germany last year 130,000 houses were fitted with solar pv. Another disappointment is the fixation that exists about pay- back time on such an investment - does anyone installing a new kitchen or bathroom ask this question? And no one seems to factor in carbon saving for future generations.
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