What are Feed-In Tariffs?
Feed-In Tariffs (also known as FITs) are the electricity part of what some people call Clean Energy Cashback, a scheme that gives cash reward to people/companies for creating their own "green electricity". The tariffs have been introduced by the Government to help increase the level of renewable energy in the UK towards our legally binding target of 15% of total energy from renewables by 2020 (up from under 2% in 2009).

In what way do the Feed-In Tariffs help me?
The Tariffs give substantial benefits such as:

• A payment for all the electricity you produce, even if you use it all yourself
• Additional bonus payments for electricity you export into the grid
• A reduction on your standard electricity bill, from using energy you produce yourself

Who can benefit from Feed-In Tariffs?

Generally speaking the FITs is for everyone, including households, landlords, businesses and the communities.

What are the FIT levels for hydro?

http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/eligible/levels/

How long will the FIT rate last?

The FIT rate for hydro is guaranteed for 20 years from the commissioning date.

What is the current export level?

The export level is currently between 4 and 6p.

How much do you estimate a hydro scheme will cost?

Each scheme is uniquely different so it’s very difficult to calculate the precise cost. However, schemes that range from between 15-50kWs may cost between £80-150,000. For a scheme over a 100kW the cost may be between £300,000-600,000. As for all schemes the topography and the ground conditions affect the overall cost of the project.

What is the payback period?

We aim to try and provide the client with a payback period of between 3-6 years.

Is it complicated to get a grid connection?

If you have a three-phase connection this would be preferable as you can export considerably more power down a three-phase line. That said you can still export sizable amounts of power down a single phase line but it’s not as easily accepted as it would be on a three-phase line.

Do you need permission from the Environment Agency?

SEPA must be consulted in order to develop a hydro scheme, they state: “SEPA have to take account of a scheme’s likely adverse impacts on the water environment as well as its potential benefits, including its contribution to renewable energy generation.”