ABSTRACT
Until recently solar power in Britain was limited to a few thermal panels mounted onto the roofs of houses with the purpose of using sunlight to heat water. Latterly, and especially following the introduction of the FIT, a new technology is being adopted whereby panels containing photovoltaic (PV) cells can be used to generate electricity. The tariffs were set at levels that appeared to give attractive financial returns, so much so that the initial take-up from farmers and landowners was such as to threaten the viability of the scheme as a whole. This led to an early review of the arrangement and to a significant reduction in the rate of payment for larger installations of more than 50 kW. That has effectively stopped projects that would have introduced extensive banks, or arrays, of panels erected in fields and the market is now focused instead on more restricted schemes mounted on the roofs of either farm buildings or individual houses. The abrupt change in government support was then challenged at the end of 2011 by industry groups, but it seems unlikely that the payment rates would be revised back to where they were even if this action were to be successful as the Government has indicated such an outcome could only lead to the scheme being closed down. The panels are now relatively readily available and easy to install, certainly when compared to wind turbines, but there are a number of factors to be considered at the outset.
