The feed-in tariff (FIT) is what is driving the considerable interest right now in installing solar panels (of the electricity-generating variety) on roofs. The bottom line is that by installing photovoltaic cells you are in the unusual position of being able to combine doing the right thing for the climate with making a decent return on your investment.The principle of the scheme is to give householders a guaranteed payback for the electricity generated on their roof (currently 43p per kw hour) in addition to any that you don’t use and can feed back into the grid (3p). You might think this is good enough – but more than this, for householders it is tax free and inflation linked for 25 years.

For communities like ours that are planning to put larger installations on community roofs, the government have thrown a spanner in the works by carrying out a snap review of the scheme and indicating that the rates for big schemes will be reduced from August. They may review the scheme again next spring  - so the best advice to householders is “don’t hold back”.

To help residents to navigate the complexities of renewable energy, LCON has been doing two things:

• As described in our March newsletter, we’ve been interviewing commercial installers so that we can announce a preferred supplier. This process should provide some helpful guide prices and one supplier of the many whose work we can recommend. We have successfully completed the selection process and are currently finalising the arrangements for the scheme
• We have also now set up an industrial and provident society (ONCORE – Oxford North Community Renewables) to promote renewables in North Oxford. Our first scheme is likely to be a 50kW solar PV installation on Cherwell School and we are hoping to raise the necessary finance through a community share offer, allowing local residents and others with a connection to North Oxford or Cherwell School to invest in the project and become a member of ONCORE. If you’re interested, please take part in the survey