In the grand scheme of things data released by UK utility, npower may seem rather insignificant but is actually a major boost to the realization that photovoltaics in the UK is taking off and that demand is far exceeding expectations just a month after the UK government introduced the first feed-in tariff that parallels other good systems in place in Germany, Italy and France. Confirmed figures given to PV-Tech from the utility mean that a total of 55 PV systems were installed by its installation partner Ecofirst Ltd, since the beginning of April, 2010 when the tariff was introduced.
npower also said that it had witnessed an 80% increase in solar enquiries from homeowners, resulting in approximately 200 enquiries in the month of April. The utility had previously reported that enquiries increased 200% when the idea of a tariff scheme was announced in July 2009. According to npower a record numbers of homeowners have registered to have panels installed, boosting the solar industry in the UK.
“It’s fantastic to see Feed-in-Tariffs generating so much interest with homeowners and the scheme should be applauded for energising the solar industry in the UK, commented Louisa Gilchrist, solar expert for npower.
According to market research firm, iSuppli Corp PV installations in the UK could reach 100MW due to strong residential demand that has been pent-up for years as well as the commercial side, in particular farmers for farm building rooftop applications. These projects are typically larger than residential projects and could boost figures considerably over the next few years as farmers see a significant return on investment with larger system installations.