Sir, – Julian Ross (Letters, April 30th) tells us that the expert advice he received was that he could not justify an investment in a domestic solar PV installation unless he had an electric car and a "feed-in" tariff for surplus electricity generation equivalent to the retail price of incoming units.
I decided three years ago to install solar PV in my home. I have 14 panels on a south-facing roof, which are generating 4,200 units of electricity per annum, the vast bulk of which are powering my domestic needs, while returning a small surplus to the grid.
I have 4.8KW of battery storage in the system, to minimise that surplus. My decision was based on a desire to move as far as possible to renewables, rather than on an economic analysis.
When I spent €8,300 (net of grants) on my system, I thought I might recover the investment in, maybe, 12 years. With the rise in electricity prices since, that is now looking closer to eight years, after which any further electricity is effectively free. In times when a deposit returns zero interest, that investment has become, retrospectively, a “no-brainer”.In addition, the satisfaction obtained from looking at the app on your phone showing you in real time what the sun is contributing to your home is incalculable!
Incidentally, I do not yet have an electric car, but when I do, I expect to be charging it at night, when solar PV is not delivering anything.
In short, I have managed to reach beyond the national 70 per cent renewable electricity target, eight years ahead of 2030.
Finally, I do agree that the “feed-in” tariff should be equivalent to the retail price, provided the installed system includes sufficient battery storage. – Yours, etc,
DAVID O’HIGGINS,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Sir,– Regarding the suggestion to increase the feed in tariff for a proposed solar installation from the wholesale rate to the retail rate, a good reason to keep it to the wholesale rate is that the other grid suppliers bear the responsibility of regulating the electricity supply whether that be through dispatchable peaker plants or pumped hydro storage. In order to make the justification for the higher retail rates, the homeowner would require their own domestic energy storage such that they can actually feed back to the grid when demand is highest, as opposed to when the weather dictates. – Yours, etc,
WILL BREEN,
Cork.