The UK Feed In Tariff is programmed to start on Thursday 1st April and expected to result in a substantial number of people starting to generate their own green electricity.  Under the scheme people installing renewable energy generators of under 5 Megawatts are to be paid fixed rates for the green electricity they produce and export to the grid.

Tesco has been gearing up to take advantage of this emerging market by stocking up on solar panels.  Tesco Executive director Lucy Neville-Rolfe told Timesonline: “Tesco has always led the way by bringing affordable green products to the mass market. With low-energy lightbulbs, we cut the price and demand went through the roof. Now we are making solar power mainstream by giving customers a simple, high-quality product at the right price.”

Price is however still the key problem with solar energy.  Despite people with new solar systems set to receive 36 p / kWh, a 3kW solar panel system costs around £16,000 (US $24,000) and this means a long payback period of 9 years plus.  Wind Energy Planning set out the Feed in Tariff rates to be paid for the different renewable energy technologies in the post earlier this year ‘Excitement over Green Energy Payment Rate‘.

In 2008, the Town and Country Planning Order was amended to grant permitted development rights to domestic properties for solar panels, ground source heat pumps and water source heat pumps, but not to wind turbines and air source heat pumps.

A new consultation was kicked off yesterday on Government proposals to introduce permitted development rights for small scale renewable energy and low carbon technologies for both householders and businesses. It is also looking for feedback on permitted development rights and advertisement consent for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Department head John Healey, said:

“The people who want to greenproof their homes should get a helping hand, not a stop sign. Our planning rules need to catch up with changing technologies and allow people to take the small measures that make big differences. Not only could this save up to hundreds of pounds in fuel bills, they will also help the environment.

“At the same time we need tough rules so that permitted development does not become a nuisance, so I am putting in place strong safeguards in relation to noise levels, size, location and the potential impact on an area.

“As a country, nearly half of our carbon emissions come from buildings. That’s more than roads, railways and airports combined. To stand a chance of tackling climate change, we need nothing less than a national crusade with everyone able to play their part to offset carbon emissions.”

Kelvin MacDonald, Policy Adviser at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), said:

“The RTPI supports the Government’s initiative to make it easier for householders and businesses to install renewable technologies. This is a positive step on the path towards making our energy supply more secure and less carbon-intensive and micro-renewables such as solar and heat pumps have an important role to play.

“It’s also important that the proposals take account of local circumstances and historic buildings. It will be important for planners to assess these proposals and provide their input to government to ensure the new measures are both workable and flexible enough to adapt to fast-changing renewable technologies.”

If successful the change in rules will mean that people would not need to get planning consent for a range of micro- scale technologies including:

- domestic wind turbines and air source heat pumps
- water source heat pumps
- solar panels
- flues for biomass systems and combined heat and power
- structures to house anaerobic digestion systems and biomass boilers
- structures to house hydro-turbines
- electrical vehicle charging infrastructure

The Department of Communities and Local Government say that securing renewable energy through small scale microgeneration and electric vehicles are two high national priorities and the technologies they require are evolving very fast. They believe that it is vital that they continue to enjoy widespread public support and confidence which means it is important to get their design and operation right.