News Article
Solar Industry: Investing Still Makes Sense
There has been a significant tail-off in installations since the introduction of energy efficiency requirements on 1st April. However, this need not be the case as investing in solar still makes very good sense for householders. That's the message the STA [1] wants to get out far and wide.
STA Chief Executive Paul Barwell said: "Despite all the reported ups and downs for the solar industry in recent months we want to get the message across to householders solar is a good investment at current tariff rates."
The STA is concerned that some members are reporting drops in their order books. However 21p/kWh tariff is still producing sound returns on investment of up to 10%. Industry is keen that the public understand that cost reductions in solar panels have been so marked the dramatic cuts in the Feed-In Tariff can be accommodated.
Paul Barwell continued:
"Cutting the tariffs in half may look drastic, but the public need to understand this is not a problem for them because the costs of solar have fallen so fast. Solar is a great investment and spring is a great time to invest."
Both the industry and Government are keen to put the solar sector on a stable footing and the STA is working closely with DECC. Government has aspirations of 22GW installed capacity by 2020 and industry needs to focus on making sure a robust Roadmap is developed to achieve it.
