Small-scale energy generation, using predominantly solar panels and wind turbines, has grown by 400% in less than 18 months in the UK. A study by Which? looked at the growth in renewable energy capacity in the UK’s large cities since the government’s feed in tariff launched last April.
London added more renewable power than all the other cities with solar panelsproving to be on the rise. According to the findings PV is the most popular way of generating renewable power, accounting for 75% of feed-in tariff scheme payments.
More than 44,000 solar installations have been registered for the FIT, with small domestic systems making up the majority (38,300).
David Hunt, a director with renewable energy company Eco Environments, said: “The Which? report comes as no surprise to us as we are seeing more and more enquiries from homeowners and businesses wanting to go ahead with small-scale renewable energy schemes.”
Under the Feed-in-Tariffs system, customers are paid for the electricity their system produces whether they use it or not as well as being paid for electricity they sell back to the Grid. Which? research has found it is possible to make up to £28,000 profit from a 4kWp solar photovoltaic system over 25 years, under the FIT.
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Small player paying out most for FiTs
