Putting PV panels in the shade

Encouraging people to invest in photovoltaic panels is very commendable and I think it would be foolhardy of us not to acknowledge the serious consequences of not doing our bit to reduce our dependency on fossil oils.

I am an environmentalist and, out of my respect towards the environment, I derive my desire and motivation to make a small contribution towards protecting it. Hence, I have obtained all the information I could about PV panels as I was determined that, once I knew what it entailed to install them and ensured it made sense both environmentally and economically, I would go for it.

I decided I would opt for it even if the payback, in terms of the initial outlay paying my future electricity bills, was going to take long to see. I know exactly what my average daily consumption is because I have the habit of reading both the electricity and water meters every night before I retire. From such readings I deduced that it would take me about six years to recover my initial outlay. Originally Enemalta was paying at a 1:1 ratio. The new scheme is even more attractive. Enemalta is paying a few cents more for every unit generated on PV panels than what it charges for every unit bought from the corporation. It is pertinent to mention that in some Scandinavian countries the ratio is 1:3 to encourage people to install PV panels.

Then came the question of space and where to install the panels, their orientation and anchorage. Luckily the space available on my washroom would accommodate five to six panels which would generate enough units to cover more or less my yearly consumption. Obviously there would be days when these panels generate more than six units and days when it would be less. That is why it is fair for Enemalta to pay at least a 1:1 ratio. Of course, a better ratio than this is a tremendous incentive for those still toying with the idea.

However, the biggest problem with the installation of these panels is that, particularly with the trend in Marsascala, I can never be sure that my next door neighbour, whose house lies to the south of my own, won’t decide to sell his property to some mega constructor. Before you can say “Jack Horner” a tower consisting of four levels plus a penthouse would block my south facing vista and put my investment “in the shade”, so to speak. My panels would be rendered useless.

In view of this threat, should not the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, in conjunction with the Malta Resources Authority, be a bit more careful when issuing permits for blocks of flats when such a high rise building would deny one the right to use these panels? And while on the subject, should not Mepa insist that the whole roof of such blocks be used solely for water tanks, solar water heaters and PV panels instead of penthouses, as is fashionable nowadays?