Business Solar Panel Installation

Many businesses are struggling to meet rising fuel costs and the increasing reliance on fossil fuels is affecting annual turnover as well as producing a massive amount of carbon emissions. Opting for business solar panel installation can help to cut energy bills and generate free energy throughout a property.

Types of solar power that can be used

Business solar panel installation is no different to domestic homes in the type of solar panel that can be installed; the options are solar photovoltaic and solar thermal. Many businesses will benefit from both types of system, companies that rely on the use of hot water as part of a production process will be especially benefited with solar thermal which uses sunlight to heat water and can lead to massive savings in fuel cost and help the environment.

A business will have the advantage over domestic properties in that there are more possibilities as to where a solar panel system can be installed. Panels are commonly seen being installed in car parks, on the walls of a building, on land surrounding the premises and of course, on roofs.

Solar photovoltaic (Solar PV) is the most common form of business solar panel installation as it uses solar energy to generate electricity. Installing this can dramatically reduce running costs as it will allow a business to utilise free energy from the sun.

Incentives of business solar panel installation

As well as the obvious savings that can be made on running costs and the reduction of carbon emissions, business solar panel installation has been made appealing to all through the introduction of incentives.

A new government scheme that was recently launched known as the feed-in tariff scheme (FIT) was brought in to entice businesses into using solar energy. The FIT scheme allows business to sell any unused energy back to the national grid and is designed to cover the cost of installation over a 25 year period. A business will receive up to 43.3p p/kWh for all of the solar power that they produce and it provides a way of gaining a return on the initial cost of installation.

Loans have also been introduced which are specifically designed to fund the purchase and installation of solar panel systems. A business can apply to the Carbon Trust for a loan between £3000 and £400,000 which will be repaid over four years. The loan is provided at an interest rate of 0% and the fuels savings made by installing the panels will effectively mean that the loan will pay for itself.

A Renewable Heat Incentive is also being introduced by the government in 2012 which will work in the same way as the feed-in tariff but for businesses with solar thermal panels. Businesses will be paid a rate of up to 8.5p per kilowatt hour of heat produced.

The Energy Saving Trust

There are numerous companies that offer business solar panel installation, it is important to know what is right for your business. The Energy Saving Trust website is a good platform to receive information on the techniques you can use to reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions.