Why should companies invest in Solar in Ireland?

The Accelerated Capital Allowance ACA is not a grant, but rather a tax incentive for companies paying corporation tax and aims to encourage investment in energy efficient equipment. 

The ACA offers an attractive incentive whereby it allows companies to write off 100% of the purchase value of qualifying energy efficient equipment against their profit in the year of purchase. Eligible equipment can be chosen from the Triple E register (See solar databases – Triple E) and includes solar heating and electricity technology.

Barrett solar are working with companies regarding the advice and implementation of solar PV  (solar photovoltaic systems) to help reduce their Electricity consumption.

By self generating your own electricity with solar PV modules businesses can reduce their electricity bills effectively. If a business owns their own commercial building there is an ideal location for a PV array on the roof whether it is flat or sloping. Planning is required but renewable energy technology is very favourable with the county councils in Ireland. PV is not as unsightly as wind turbines, has no moving parts and therefore little or no maintenance. 

It is uncommon knowledge in the public eye that Ireland receives the same amount of solar irradiation as northern and central Germany at 1,050 kWh / m2/yr. It is commonplace to see PV arrays on factory roofs in Germany. They have better incentives though but it is just a matter of time that SEAI and the government will introduce more incentives such as the ACA and maybe feed in tariffs for businesses in the future. Northern Ireland is a prime example of a huge Solar PV expansion due to their incentives such as feed in tariffs for export to the grid and grants available. 

For more info see the northern Ireland info on Solar PV  http://powerni.co.uk/saving-energy/renewables/sell-your-electricity/ or SEAI  info on Renewable energy incentives for businesses in ROI such as ACA and triple E register.

I have been interested in the SEAI grant scheme 2013 for Battery electric vehicles (BEV's) and plug in Hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV's) which is available till the end of December 2013.

If you haven't heard of this grant in summary:
The grant is €5000 off the price of an electric vehicle and €2500 off the price of a Hybrid electric vehicles which run on electrically charged batteries and petrol. 
In addition to this The (VRT) Vehicle registration tax is zero rated for Electric cars and Hybrid cars with relief of up to €2500. 

That is a pretty nice incentive!

The Electric car prices including the grant are in the region of €16000 to €27000 depending on the make and model. See car dealers websites for the fine details. You can also find out more from ESB
Reports from ESB say that the electric vehicle can save drivers of up to 12.9cent per kilometer  when its battery is charged using the night rate electricty. This equates to fuel savings of more than €6500 for a distance of 55,000 km and a reduction of over 4 tonnes of CO2 emissions according to ESB.

Alot of people have expressed interest in Electric cars especially because of the grants. The owner of the car  can have their own charging station at home and ESB are offering free of charge installation of home charging points for the first 2000 sold Electric cars and Hybrid cars
. 
The installation of solar modules on a south facing roof or carport roof will use the suns free energy to charge your electric car battery along with using your own generated power from your solar panels to reduce your  home electricity utility bill and power some of your house circuits such as lights and power sockets. As Electricity prices continue to increase approximately 5% every year it makes sense to invest in some solar ( PV ) photo voltaic modules for your home or business. The advantages are :
-proven technology
-helps generate your own electricity.
-makes savings and reduces your electricity bill.
-doing your bit for the environment by cutting CO2 emissions
-short payback on investment as solar prices have drastically reduced due to high demand.
-no price hikes with self generated electricity.
-earn money on selling some of your electricity back to the grid. (Feed in tariffs)
-choice to use all your energy generated by your solar installation for your home
-low maintenance on installation compared to Solar thermal (hot water heating,with plumbing & DHW tank)

Barrett solar supply a solar Home Energy Management System  for your home and for your electric or hybrid car charging system.   


Contact Us today if you would like to discuss how we can help you!

Solar Solutions for Ireland's Future

The solar energy arriving at the Earth's surface each year is capable of providing 10,000 times our current power demand. So why don't we harness this huge source of free energy, instead of burning fossil fuels and creating toxic nuclear waste?
Even in Ireland and the UK, not a place particularly well known for its sunny weather, we receive many, many times more solar energy than our annual electricity consumption. If we were to make use of all the buildings in the country, we could meet Ireland's total electricity requirements with photovoltaics (PV).
SOLAR PANELS that convert sunlight into electricity may represent the world’s best chance of supplying energy needs into the future. No other technology holds the same potential, a conference in Dublin has heard.


If we made full use of our homes, schools, offices and factories, total global demand could be met with the equivalent of one 10 x 10m array of PV per person.
According to European Photovoltaics Industry Association and Greenpeace, 26% of global energy could be met with PV by 2040. In doing so, this level of usage would bring power to the one billion people around the globe who do not currently have access to electricity and create two million new jobs by 2013.

The new CIS technology solar module supplied by Barrettsolar and fitted by Marr Construction is 12.6% more efficient than crystalline silicone standard solar modules on the market. It features a light soaking effect which is unique to CIS modules which provides higher output than standard modules. They are also black in colour which can blend in with other roofing materials and are more preferable to Architects and clients. The energy payback time can be less than one year compared to 2 and a half years.
They absorb a wide spectrum of light energy and ensure maximum energy generation also under unfavorable weather conditions.“

HOME ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (HEMS)
The "HEMS" as supplied by Barrettsolar  is a system which is ideal for the situation in Ireland where we have unfavourable "feed in tariffs" from our Electricity suppliers. Self-generated solar electricity is generally much cheaper than domestic electricity. In most cases the tariff is only 9cent when we have to pay Airtricity or ESB 15cent per Kilowatt hour.
With the home energy management system we use all our power generated by our solar modules in an intelligent manner. The system will store the power generated in Batteries so we can have electricity at night and in cloudy grey skies. It has computer software which will monitor the daily output generated and is user friendly. If the system cannot produce enough power during unfavourable weather , the back up system will kick in and the normal electricity supply will take over.   With the HEMS  a consumption rate of 70% is possible, i.e. only 30 per cent of the solar electricity you generate is exported to the grid- the remainder can be used in the home.
A standard  "HEMS" system of 3 kilowatts supplied and fitted would cost €15,600 plus vat. This includes a solar array of 20 CIS modules with battery storage and the intelligent Home Energy Management system.
Barrettsolar  and Marr construction also supply the ARRES  "Solar roof tiles"
Ideal for new builds where there is no need for conventional roof tiles or slates.
Please enquire for additional info HERE