Definition of "Occupied" / Autonomous / stand-alone

[Worcester]

We have an interesting project and wondered if anyone else has come across this.

One of my customers, a farmer, pumps his water up remotely from ground source, it is an electric pump housed in its own building, with it's own metered supply.

The pump is running all the time 24 x 7 x 365 to supply the dairy and it's in a big field that he owns, he would like to install say a 50kWp ground mount system to power it. Although the size is irrelavent, it's the principle.

Cable run to the meter is OK, cable run to the dairy impossible.

I can find no definition of 'occupied'

The two possible FIT categories according to the latest FIY payment Rate Table ar Annex 2 from the are:

a) Solar Photovoltaic (other than stand-alone) with total installed capacity greater than 10kW but not exceeding 50kW (32.9p / kWh)
or
b) Stand-alone (autonomous) solar photovoltaic (not attached to a building and not wired to provide electricity to an occupied building) (8.5p / kWh)

Anyone else got experience of this kind of situation, for obviuos reasons 8.5p/kWh isn't doable at this small size.

(and yes we are exploring other buildings as well...)

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I would imagine that it's catagory b)?

 

[Worcester]

On what basis SpinLondon?

Why, that's the challenge,

1) The SSEG will be attached to a building (the panels won't, the inverter will, i.e. the Main switch at the pump house. Cable might need upgrading :teeth_smile: - for the pump of course! )
2) What is the deifinition of occupied - by what - people / plant / animals (dairy) ?


Where's TedM when you need him! :ninja:

 

[BruceB]

The definition of occupied is irrelevant as there is an 'and' there.
Provided it is attached to a building, it is not 'standalone'.
Regards
Bruce

 

[Worcester]

@BruceB,

That's the kind of way we / the client are feeling, the AND is critical.

The 8.5p band was designed to stop the completely standalone systems built in a field and hooked up to an 11kV (or higher!) supply.

The client has a legitimate use for the power that they will generate from the SSEG, it is not being made up as a dump load.

I'm not sure what the term 'attached to a building' is being interpreted as are they meaning panels on the roof. - Once again no definition in the docs

Reading the definition (b) in my OP

i) Not Attached, Wired to an occupied building - means a ground mount supplying an occupied building is OK

The definition of occupied is therefore critical....

 

[SolarCity]

I agree with BruceB's interpretation.

I think the intention is to indentify the difference between purely standalone systems and systems such as the one you intend to install. If the building has a genuine use beyond purely housing inverters, for example, then I would say it counts as 'occupied'.

 

[Worcester]

Thanks guys, that's my interpretation, now the question comes down to how small the building can be

The pump house is a critical infrastructure for the operation of the farm, it'll be interesting to see the planners view on the application!