‘postcode lottery’ dependent on the local interpretation of these rules?
The industry now needs to focus on delivering PV as many small systems. The previous model had been evolving for large scale projects mainly delivered directly from the manufacturer. This has to transform into a more distribution focussed and customer facing industry, which could contain many innovative new business models.
The regulatory framework needs to evolve to simplify the process for connecting multiple small installations to the grid. G83 works well when applied to a single domestic install, but a group scheme, even if widely scattered, is being treated as one unit and pre- authorisation is being required. Typically this is a scheme for a social housing provider who has housing stock scattered over a town or region. This pre- authorisation delays the project and adds unnecessary administration costs, without adding significant value. The DNOs (District Network Operators) should be resourced to give a speedy response, and clear guidelines should be published which allow some scattered groups to be treated as individual installs, provided they fall within certain criteria, and hence only require post-installation notification.
Visual appearance might become a
barrier to PV. In a new market for a little understood domestic product there is a temptation to install as large a system as possible to maximise economic return for the client. Installed systems that are out of scale with their surroundings will demotivate others in the locality from following suit. There is also a possibility that a backlash will come from visual lobby groups (the resistance to windfarms has been based mainly on appearance) and the PV industry would do well to avoid any such adverse reactions.
The industry should seek not just satisfied individual customers but exemplars to encourage greater uptake. As the market develops people will start to appreciate that there are different types of system at different levels of cost. As with any purchase for their house, the knowledgeable home owner will often choose a higher priced solution when there is a clear visual or quality difference.
In future we may find that the presence of a PV roof will increase the resale value of a property, but only if it enhances the property. A ‘bolt on’ PV array could reduce the likelihood of a sale due to its visual appearance.
In a maturing marketplace there is a clear differentiator in having an aesthetically pleasing integrated PV roof. This may be in the form of a ‘glazed roof’ system or a PV tile/slate system, but will surely be viewed as the
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sophisticated and preferred solution, and the specifiers and influencers should place a premium on such solutions.
There are other advantages in the integrated systems which reinforce the reasoning because they replace traditional roofing materials, and so can reduce weight and cost. In a retrofit project, there have been concerns that PV systems add weight to a roof, and not all companies are performing a structural survey to verify the existing structure can support the extra load. When an integrated system is fitted, this generally has a weight equivalent to slates, and less than concrete tiles, therefore with no increase of weight, no increased load on the structure. On the other hand, when used on a new build project, an integrated system has a cost advantage in that it displaces traditional roofing materials, thus reducing the marginal cost of the PV system.
U.K. based PV Manufacturer -
www.gb-sol.co.uk
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