January 25, 2012 - Solar News 25 Jan 2012. New Solar Gold Rush as UK Government Loses Second PV FIT Cuts Case. - Solar PV FIT cuts news UK 25 January 2012. - 43.3p Solar PV FIT looks increasingly likely for a brief manic "use it or lose it" 5 week window. - Barrister Edmund Robb is confident that the Supreme Court will refuse the DECC’s second appeal and has... More →
January 22, 2012 - UK Solar PV FIT Cuts: Appeal Court Judges Deliver Decision Wednesday 25 January. - Shivers are shaking UK's once sunshiney solar industry. Increasingly, tweeters are opining that 21p (rather than a reversion to 43.3p) is better for everyone because it will prevent a gold rush and excessive depletion of a limited subsidy budget.... More →
January 19, 2012 - UK's DECC confirm "plan B" if they lose their solar PV FIT subsidy court case. - UK solar PV FIT cut plan B strategy: - More Solar Subsidy Clarity for UK Solar Photovoltaic Panels Consumers! Phew... - Legal summary: DECC has announced that it will be laying before Parliament some draft licence modifications which, subject to the... More →
January 19, 2012 - ASA "Zero Carbon Solar" ban. We request Independent Review. - UK Solar Marketing News: 19 January 2012. - Following December's ASA decision to ban us from saying "Zero Carbon Solar", Solar Twin Ltd have requested an Independent Review, following up on some earlier expressions of concern, they have today... More →
January 16, 2012 - Six GREAT reasons to order solar PV panels this week. - Solar news UK: Six good reasons to order solar PV this week. - Yes, this is a naked pitch for solar PV panel business. What, if anything you wear while reading this is up to you... - 1/ Guaranteed 21p minimum feed in tariff. In response to industry,... More →
January 13, 2012 - Solar News 13 Jan 2011: UK Solar PV FITs Court Case Update. We Take The Wrappers OFF! - Solar PV FIT legal case UK update 13/1/2012. Looking at the assorted news stories, another period of waiting is due for the UK solar PV industry. Here is a collation of information culled from various sources. Many thanks for solar twitterers for... More →

What is solar? Solar water heating systems = Solar panels + solar energy. Solar thermal: solar power & solar hot water. Solar subsidy UK. CECB = RHI + FIT.

Solar Panels – Solartwin Solar Panel Technology Basics

Some background and basic information about solar PV panels and solar water heating.

A – There are two main kinds of solar technology.

Solar water heating = SWH = solar thermal water heating = solar heating. This delivers hot water via pipes. The heat energy can be stored in hot water stores.
Solar photovoltaics = Solar PV = solar electricity. This delivers electricity via electrical cables. The electrical energy can sometimes be stored in batteries.

Solar technologies sollect solar energy using various types of solar panels.

B – What kinds of solar panel are there? There are therefore two main kinds of solar panel to collect the solar energy.

Solar water heating uses solar collectors = solar heating panels. Types of solar collectors there are tubes and plate collectors. Within the plates there are metal and freeze tolerant plates.
Solar photovoltaics uses solar modules = PV panels. Types of PV panel technologies include thin film, mono- or poly-crystalline and hybrid.

The costs benefits of solar technologies depend on initial costs, operational costs, life expectancy and subsidies. So what solar subsidies are there in UK?

C – There are two main different solar panel subsidy schemes in UK, both operating under the heading of Clean Energy Cashback = CECB

The Solar water heating subsidy is the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI Scheme)
The Solar photovoltaics subsidy is the Feed in Tariffs (FIT Scheme)

Both CECB programmes, RHI and FIT, are funded by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). FIT budget is £360M. RHI budget is £860M. How does CECB work?

D – Basically, under CECB you get a yearly payment for 10-25 years depending on your chosen solar panel installation and its particular technology. The sum paid per year depends on how much energy it delivers. Generally the bigger the better. More details of CECB / FIT / RHI are on this site.

For speed, and for the sake of the environment, Solartwin offer feasibility checks and fixed price solar quotes by phone.
Unique in the world, Solartwin's phone survey now also uses online aerial photographs of your roof in most urban areas!

Unlike most solar surveys, our instant surveys and quotes are completely free and with no obligation.
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Solar News 25 Jan 2012. New Solar Gold Rush as UK Government Loses Second PV FIT Cuts Case.

Solar PV FIT cuts news UK 25 January 2012. 43.3p Solar PV FIT looks increasingly likely for a brief manic “use it or lose it” 5 week window. Barrister Edmund Robb is confident that the Supreme Court will refuse the DECC’s second appeal and has said so publicly. This would mean the full 43.3p solar [...]

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UK Solar PV FIT Cuts: Appeal Court Judges Deliver Decision Wednesday 25 January.

Shivers are shaking UK’s once sunshiney solar industry. Increasingly, tweeters are opining that 21p (rather than a reversion to 43.3p) is better for everyone because it will prevent a gold rush and excessive depletion of a limited subsidy budget. Anyway’ here’s our take on the story: On Wednesday January 25, Some time after 10 am, [...]

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UK’s DECC confirm “plan B” if they lose their solar PV FIT subsidy court case.

UK solar PV FIT cut plan B strategy: More Solar Subsidy Clarity for UK Solar Photovoltaic Panels Consumers! Phew… Legal summary: DECC has announced that it will be laying before Parliament some draft licence modifications which, subject to the Parliamentary process set out in the Energy Act 2008, make provision for a the new rates [...]

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ASA “Zero Carbon Solar” ban. We request Independent Review.

UK Solar Marketing News: 19 January 2012. Following December’s ASA decision to ban us from saying “Zero Carbon Solar”, Solar Twin Ltd have requested an Independent Review, following up on some earlier expressions of concern, they have today published a summary of their concerns here. 1/ Complaint Identity. Having only been supplied with an assurance [...]

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Six GREAT reasons to order solar PV panels this week.

Solar news UK: Six good reasons to order solar PV this week. Yes, this is a naked pitch for solar PV panel business. What, if anything you wear while reading this is up to you… 1/ Guaranteed 21p minimum feed in tariff. In response to industry, the government have just clarified that there is [...]

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