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According to a recent survey conducted by the Center for Alternative Technology (CAT), the majority of British households would consider adopting photovoltaic technology with 90 per cent saying that they would consider and 23 per cent saying that they would definitely adopt the technology in their homes. From the 750 homes which were surveyed, the results show a shift in general public opinion towards the practical application of renewable technology, especially if it is something which proves to be financially viable in the long term.

The long term financial viability of all small-scale renewable projects hinges largely on the upcoming Feed-in tariff, likely to be introduced in 2010. The principle of the tariff is to offset the expense of producing power by non-fossil fuel means and provide incentives to those wishing to invest in renewable plant such as photovoltaic technology. The fixed rate for megawatts fed-in to the national grid by small scale renewable power producers is paid for by existing power companies who are obliged by the government to buy the renewable megawatts, the cost of which is spread across the consumers.

The survey noted that this high potential take up of PV technology would be dependent on the feed-in tariff paying 50p per unit of energy supplied in to the grid. In Germany, this exact system of tariffs has been used successfully to make Germany one of the worlds leaders both in terms of PV technology adoption and public awareness of greener energy production.

CAT spokesman, Mark Watson commented,

“Photovoltaic systems are one of the easiest renewable energy technologies to integrate in towns and cities and as the survey results show, they are generally liked by the general public.”

The newly established Energy Technology Institute (ETI) has announced that the innovative Nova Project will be one of the first recipients of its research funding. The V-wing turbine design, unorthodox in that it is designed to be supported in the air by two giant vertical wings represents a dramatic step forward in green technology design. The government hopes that the V-wing along with other renewable energy sources will soon be supplying energy in to the UK national grid. Recent energy legislation and the establishment of the ETI highlight the government’s desire to meet its green target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

ETI, made up of BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell are thought to have around £1.1 billion to dedicate to similar such projects as the V-wing and will be a key driving force behind renewable investment in the near future alongside the proposed feed-in tariff. The Nova project represents a worldwide move towards greener technology. As Lord Drayson, the Science and Innovation minister stated,

“This is evidence of a real shift to green jobs and green engineering”.

Other funding will go towards researching floating offshore wind and tidal turbines around the UK and will contribute greatly to the success of the renewable technology industry in the next twenty years.