In news that will make life easier for many UK solar installers, from April 6 this year planning permission will no-longer be required to install solar PV or solar thermal on non-domestic buildings. The new rules will also mean that ground-mounted systems up to 9m2 will be able to go ahead without a planning application.

The new regulations, which are coming into affect by an amendment to Permitted Development Rights (PDRs), will have a great impact on the requirements for planning for retrofits on commercial and agricultural buildings. Those who were held back, or forced to cancel projects due to the delays planning caused when the feed-in tariff changes were going through, will no longer face such restrictions.

However, as with most things in life, there are certain conditions that must be met.

Roof mounted solar

A roof-mounted solar system must not protrude more than 200mm from the roof/wall surface it is mounted on. There is an exception to this is if the system is on a flat roof, where the solar PV must be less than 1m in height above the highest part of the flat roof excluding any chimneys.

The roof-mounted solar installation must also be more than 1m away from the external edge of the roof or the joint of the wall that it is on and if the system is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, or land with similar restrictions (article 1(5) then the solar cannot be on a roof slope or wall fronting the highway.

Furthermore, planning permission is required if the solar is on a listed building, on a building within the curtilage of a listed building or upon a site designated as a scheduled ancient monument.

Further conditions

• The solar equipment must, so far as practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building;
• The solar equipment must, so far as practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area; and
• Solar equipment no longer needed for micro generation must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable

Ground Mounted

In terms of ground-mounted solar, the new planning conditions also mean that installations of up to 9m2 will not require permissions. However, the solar must not be taller than 4m, only one to ground mounted system can be present of any one building, solar must not exceed 4m in height and the solar must not be installed so that it is nearer to any highway than any part of the building which is nearest to the same highway.

Further, the solar must not be installed within 5m of the boundary of the curtilage and planning permission will still be required if the solar is within the curtilage of a listed building or on a site designated as a scheduled ancient monument.

Further conditions

• The ground mounted solar must, so far as practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area; and
• Ground mounted solar which is no longer needed for micro generation must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.

Commenting on this news, Alexander Creed, Partner, Resources and Energy at Strutt & Parker, said: “We welcome these changes; they will make the installation of solar on commercial and agricultural much more straightforward and we always considered it perverse that you could install on domestic properties without planning but not commercial or agricultural ones.

“We think that this change opens a window of opportunity for those that have been considering installing solar but haven’t progressed a project – possibly put off by the rollercoaster of feed-in tariffs. We think it opens a window as you will be able to install on a roof after the April 6 and this gives a good window until the June 30 before the next FiT reduction.

“As systems connected before the July 1 will benefit from a 25 year solar PV FiT and a linkage to the RPI rather than the CPI, this will give better returns to the project. With the current pricing for a 50kW system any project completed before July 1 should achieve an internal rate of return of over 10 percent.”

You can read the full legislation here.

You’d have over 400L of hot water to use for showers, baths and washing which was generated only using “daylight”

Total energy cost to you – ZERO. and the next 6 months will probably be the same most days.

Our technology helps you slash oil & gas bills. Would you like to have your Hot Water produced for FREE or do you prefer to pay 93c a litre for Heating Oil to do the same task at today’s prices ?

NOTE: Surface Power’s technology is patented and only available from us.

Solar Temperatures of 85.2 C (185F) achieved on 18th March before LUNCH

As shown with kind permission of one of our customers, collector temperatures of over 85C (185F) were achieved on the 18th March.

Our all year round systems should be providing near 100% of hot water requirements daily from now until Sep/Oct.

IMAGINE being practically energy free for the next 6 months.

We are now at that time of year, the clock will go forward, the days are now starting to get longer, our central heating requirements drops away, just lots of hot water requirements for the next 6 months.

See the screen shot sequence. you can see systems live 24/7 at our GO LIVE page on our website.

Time – 8:23 am

Time – 9:16 am

Time - 9:57 am

 Time - 10:58 am

Time - 12:10 am

Time - 12:34 pm

Email support@surfacepower.com with your design questions and query’s

This system is located in Ireland. Ireland has the same solar irradiation as Alaska.

A 9% increase in oil prices and a 20% rise in gas prices pushed the Bord Gáis energy index 8% higher last month.

The Bord Gáis energy index now stands at a record high of 157 and is 11% higher than this time last year.

John Heffernan, a power trader at Bord Gáis Energy, said that oil prices closed about the significant $120 a barrel price on nine days during February. ”For the first time governments and financial institutions are starting to raise concerns about the effect this may have on consumer spending, the fragile economic growth and inflation,” he said,

He added that rising energy costs threaten to weaken the European economy by reducing the purchasing power of companies and consumers.

The oil element of the energy index rose by 9% to 169 last month. Bord Gáis said that oil prices hit new record highs in both euro and sterling as tensions between the West and Iran increased. It said the markets continue to factor in the possibility that these tensions could lead to a situation where global oil supplies are disrupted and this is pushing oil prices higher.

The natural gas element of the index jumped by 20% to 221. ”Day-ahead” prices hit their highest level in over six years on the UK gas trading hub due to the severe weather experienced in Europe and concerns over Russian gas supplies in the first week of February. During the cold snap, Europe sought exports from the UK to compensate for reduced deliveries from the East which put further pressure on prices.

Bord Gáis said that the coal element of the index was down 7% to 125 with European coal prices falling as stockpiles and European generators and terminals remained high.

The electricity element of the index rose by 5% to 125 as a combination of higher gas prices and carbon prices increased wholesale electricity prices. Bord Gáis said that as most of the electricity used in Ireland is produced by burning gas, internationally traded gas prices heavily influence Irish wholesale electricity prices.

Mr Heffernan said that oil prices will continue to be driven mainly the market’s perception of tensions between the West and Iran, while foreign exchange movements will also influence prices.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0312/energy-business.html

Surface Power’s solar technology is the most advanced in the world, this is why we give you live access to the data.

Below we see 2 solar central heating systems (including hot water of course) with the ENERGY being produced for FREE from light, NO FUEL, ZERO COST. (even as winter is just ending)

Even in Ireland (where the two “all year round” systems shown below are located), our technology breaks all legacy barriers on solar thermal. (Ireland’s annual solar potential is 950-1100 kWhrs/m2/year, same as Alaska)

While our competitors need a heatwave in summer to replicate this performance, we can deliver Summer time performances even in Winter.

SHORTLY, all our customers with “all year round” configurations will be at near 100% hot water performance until the end of September and with boiler off season starting shortly, it means that they will have practically FREE energy until Autumn and they won’t even need sunshine to achieve it. (that’s near 6 months of not having to buy or practically use any oil/gas not including all the energy they have saved through winter already)

PLEASE NOTE: BOTH OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE INSTALLED IN PEOPLES HOMES AND AS IT IS SUNDAY MORNING ARE BEING CONSTANTLY USED AS CAN BE SEEN BY THE CYLINDER TEMPERATURE CHANGES.

SYSTEM 1:  MARCH 4TH, 9:33AM, System 1 is in full production with a temp Delta of 10C (50F) at “near Boiler” performance of 52.3C (126F) ( in the collectors at 9:33am and it is COSTING the homeowner ZERO. The fuel (light) is FREE.

SYSTEM 1 – SOLAR CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEM – Outside Air Temp – 3C (37F)

below: Live screenshot of SYSTEM 1 @ 9:33am IN FULL PRODUCTION.

below: SYSTEM 1 @ 9:54am, system still in full production

below: SYSTEM 1 @ 10:31AM still in full production

below: SYSTEM 1 @ 12:20pm, still in full production now in Boiler mode at 65.1C (150F) with a delta T of 12,8C (55F)

below: SYSTEM 1 @ 12:33pm, still in full production now in Boiler mode at 67.2C (153F) with a delta T of 17.4C (63F)

below: SYSTEM 1 @ 12:54pm, still in full production in Boiler mode at 66C (151F) with a delta T of 16.3C (61F)

below: SYSTEM 1 @ 1:51pm, still in full production in Boiler mode at 66.2C (152F) with a delta T of 14.9 (59F)

SYSTEM 2 – SOLAR CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEM – Outside air temp 3C (37F)

SYSTEM 2:  MARCH 4TH, 9:36AM, System 2 is in full production with a temp Delta of 15.5C (60F) at near Boiler performance of 52.3C (126F) in the collectors and it is COSTING the homeowner ZERO. The fuel (light) is FREE.

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 9:36am in FULL PRODUCTION

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 9:51am IN FULL PRODUCTION with a Delta T of 10.9C (52F)

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 10:27am NOW IN BOILER MODE for some time. (collectors above 60C [ 140F ] )

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 10:53am STILL IN BOILER MODE. (collectors at 62.2C [144F ] )

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 11:04am STILL IN BOILER MODE. (collectors at 62.3C [ 144F ] )

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 11:31am STILL IN BOILER MODE. (collectors above 64.2C [ 148F ] )

below: SYSTEM 2 @ 12:58pm STILL IN BOILER MODE. (collectors above 63.8C [ 147F ] )

AND MOVING ON TO THE END OF THE DAY, below: SYSTEM 2 @ 5:32pm STILL IN BOILER MODE. (collectors above 62.2C [ 144F ] )

When it comes to purchasing Solar Hot Water Systems, we believe in PROOF, NOT PROMISES….

How much will I save from an all year round system, have a look at PAYBACK HERE. 

  THE PRICE of crude oil is slowly retreating this morning after an overnight rally sent its cost to the highest it had been in 43 months.

Prices had surged last night after a report of a pipeline explosion in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil producer, with investors fearing that the blast could lead to a significant shortage.

In New York the price of a barrel peaked at $128.40, a jump of $5.74, the highest price it had seen since July 2008.

Prices had already been rising over fears of unrest in the Middle East and the continuing fears over Iran and the possibility of an escalation in the nuclear conflict there.

The price has since abated in Asian trading, however, as the Saudi Arabian authorities denied the reports of the blast. In London, oil for delivery in April had slid back to $124.99 this morning.

Indeed, Bloomberg said the decline, coming after a spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry rose about $110 per barrel, meant the price of oil could be set to decline on a week-by-week basis for the first time in a month.

The oil market is particularly volatile at the moment because of an unusually tense situation where a number of countries face potential disruptions to their supplies.

The European Union, for example, has placed an embargo on imports of oil from Iran, which in turn has threatened to close access to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel for the shipment of oil to the wider world.

Oil prices are still very close to the record high of $147 and consumers are already starting to prepare themselves for the inevitable.