Steve Knight, Navitron’s commercial director, says the scheme’s introduction is vital in order to give solar thermal the same advantage its PV counterpart has enjoyed under the Feed-in Tariff.
“Everyone in the solar thermal industry is pinning their hopes on the Domestic RHI coming into effect during 2014,” he said.
“The industry is desperate for a boost, and the Domestic RHI could serve as just that. Residential solar thermal has taken a back seat to solar photovoltaic technology ever since the Feed-In Tariff came into place.
“Sales statistics from Navitron show that the number of solar thermal systems purchased since 2010, when the Feed-In Tariff was introduced, have dropped 60 percent since the Feed-In Tariff came into effect.”
He added: “There are thousands of people in the solar thermal industry holding their breath on a Domestic RHI launch date; however, the government is yet to commit to one.
“There’s no better time to commit to change than the New Year, which is why there’s also no better time for the government to end speculation about the start of Phase 2 of the RHI and bring the scheme into effect.”