Presentations – Solar PV Breakfast, Burgess Hill

It was a sunny(ish) day in Burgess Hill for our latest Sustainable Business Breakfast – focusing on solar PV.

Jeremy Holmes and Jason John from local renewable energy specialists PDP Solar discussed the factors you need to consider when investigating solar PV, including panel efficiencies, inverter types and mounting systems. They showed that with electricity cost savings and Feed-in-Tariff payments, the payback period from installing a commercial size solar PV array can be as low as 5 years, once the capital cost of installation is deducted from corporation tax on company profits.

Rob McDonald from Mid Sussex District Council outlined on which occasions planning permission is required for renewable energy systems, and when an installation would be considered a ‘permitted development’. He explained how planning regulations had been relaxed in the last few years in favour of renewable energy and low-carbon developments.

Peter Davies from Shoreham Port shared their experiences of installing two large solar arrays, financed through a community share scheme. He also as provided a insight into the port’s energy generating history, from the coal fired power station knocked down in 1988 to the biofuel combined heat and power plant that has recently received planning permission.

Download their presentations. Sign-up to the Sustainable Business Network to find out about upcoming events.