INQUIRER solar panels get squeezed in mad TV landgrab

The MD of our accredited installer, Solstice Energy, Richard Warren is a bit of a media luvvie so we had fun with the BBC coming round on Tuesday and then Channel 4 on Thursday. The Sanyo panels got delivered on Tuesday bright and early, and the scaffolders turned up, eventually.

We had applied for a 50% grant from the DTI last September and it took no more than three weeks for it to give the grant. But then the fun began because the Ts&Cs specified we should contact our local council about "planning permission" from solar panels. The vitriol is below, in the See Also links. We remained optimistic.

On Tuesday it was pelting it down, but we saw Richard W hauling up a Sanyo solar panel onto INQ Central while we were grilled downstairs by a political reporter who had listened to London Mayor Red Ken utter the magic mantrams "insulation" and "cavity walls".

There was no media hubbub on Wednesday but today it started all over again. Our intrepid installer was pictured sitting on top of the roof complete with a Sanyo solar panel which, I must say, looked the spitting image of the one that got installed on Tuesday. I guess Sanyo clones these things but the bill of materials (BOM) is expensive.

Richard Warren is very telegenic and has a good point. People trying to install solar panels are caught in this crazy situation where they can only now apply for them on the 1st of every month because there is only so much money. The INQ Harrow had our grant, er granted last October and the rest was endless delays from Harrow Council.

Hopefully, once the installation is completed and the TV guys have gone away for the weekend, we'll be able to bring you technical specs of power consumption and the rest. And some more photos. The kids from Solstice Energy are good. The loft hasn't seen light since 1926, when INQ Central was apparently built. There are no treasures in the loft, but lots of soot, presumably left over from the fossile fuel days. Every living creature in the house is coughing. Some more than most. Even the neighbours are coughing at the bling-bling going up on the INQ roof. µ

L'INQ
Watch Tuesday's news about seven minutes in
Channel 4 news item: Sky high demand for green grants (on the INQ roof. With permission)

See Also
Council clueless about solar power
Harrow Council is never knowingly undersolared