New solar electricity panels buy in Garden Grove, Lancaster, Pasadena

The sun hasn't yet set on domestic solar energy

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The cuts, which came into force last Monday, could threaten 25,000 jobs in the renewables industry but, as a homeowner, if you were thinking about improving your home's energy credentials, is it still worthwhile fitting solar panels?

"We knew and accepted that the current subsidy level of 43.3p for smaller domestic and commercial solar PV installations was coming to an end. What shocked us and the industry as a whole was the extent of the cut and the speed with which it is being implemented," says David Hunt, a director with energy company Eco Environments.

The FIT scheme has been understandably popular; you get cash payments as an incentive for having solar panels on your roof to generate your own energy. However, the Government has reduced these payments from 43.3p a kilowatt-hour to 21p (from next April) for any new installations registered after 12 December.

Those who already have solar panels in place get to keep the top rate for 25 years but, in the scramble to beat the deadline, many customers have been left unhappy after failing to get their installations completed in time. They will now earn less than half of what they had hoped from their investment.

Source: The Independent

solar electricity panels - News

Jackson residents praise, question solar-panel project

Asbury Park Press - Feb 16, 2011

"Also, in the summer when you are producing the most electricity, if you are not using the building at 100 percent capacity, the meters actually spin backward." Dicara said each time a solar panel system generates 1000 kilowatt-hours of electricity,

Texas town known for refinery pollution does solar

Bloomberg - Feb 15, 2011

In the seven days the project has been up and running, the panels have generated enough electricity to power the average home for two months. Blasingame said it is estimated the solar project will fulfill 15 percent of the school's electricity needs.

Multi-layered solar cell boosts efficiency

CNET - Feb 16, 2011

But even though this technology has been around for years, it still hasn't become as established or widely used for wholesale electricity production as regular flat solar panels. Multi-junction cells are more complex and expensive.

North Carolina solar farm distributes electricity

Greenville Daily Reflector - Feb 16, 2011

"Extreme heat can lower the efficiency of the panels," said James McLawhorn, the director of public staff for the NC Utilities Commission. "The hotter it is, the less electricity it can carry." Still, the world's largest solar power plant is in the

Solar panels unveiled at Greater Rochester International Airport

Gates-Chili Post - Feb 15, 2011

The installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the terminal building has been completed, and will now provide power from the sun to offset electricity purchased from the municipal grid. The project includes solar panel installation of two