Eco-Congregation Award for Bradford Cathedral

This afternoon I am going to go to Bradford to see the Cathedral being presented with the Eco-Congregation Award, at 4pm

(And here, inserted later, is the picture I took of the presentation of the Award - with a demonstration solar panel in the background, and the east window of the cathedral  beyond that. It shows the Dean on the right)

Well done Bradford Cathedral! I will find out what things they have done to receive the award.

I will also email my friends in Churches together in Settle and District. It may encourage people here to do something.

At the Cathedral they are also going to have a talk/consultation about solar panels.

I will be interested to hear that.

Some people say that the real "pay back" time for solar photovoltaic  panels is so long   that we would be better off using our money for other things - (saving wildlife habitats, I of course suggest). But with the current government scheme, the payback time will only be about 15 years, after which the panels will be making money through selling electricity to the grid.

Ethical Consumer, quoting the Centre for Alternative Technology say:

A PV system mounted in the UK will probably have produced between 3 and 7 times as much energy as was required for its production

A fully installed grid-connected domestic PV system is likely to cost from £4000 to £8000 per KW rated capacity.. So a typical 2.5kW PV roof will cost around £15000.

Although the Feed in Tariffs (FiTs) are guaranteed for 25 years,The window of opportunity for the top FiTs - is due to end in less than 20 months, in March 2012. Most people are in danger of missing the boat again. You can only sign up for a FiT if the company you use to install them are approved by the government's Microgeneration Certification Scheme. therefore you can't claim it for a DIY scheme.

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