The BBC is reporting that wind turbines and solar panels may no longer require planning permission. It seems the government may be moving towards a sensible approach to micro generation and this will remove one barrier for home owners. At present, routine planning applications can take up to three months and cost as much as £1,000. Which significantly increases the payback time for most micro generation schemes and the cost of installing solar panels and wind turbines is already several thousand pounds.

Ruth Kelly said recently: “The local planning system should support efforts to tackle climate change rather than acting as a barrier.” which is great news for those of us wanting to live a greener lifestyle, but also great news for anyone wanting a greener business idea, as according to the BBC:

There are more than 100,000 micro generation installations across the country – including wind and water source or ground source heat pumps – and that figure is expected to rise to more than 1.3 million by 2020.

That’s a 1,300% increase in the size of the current market! There’s more financial incentives to trigger rapid growth in the market as some councils are offering a one off rebate for council tax of up to £500. The DTI is also improving the grants that are available to help with the costs of installation. Which is helped out by the Chancellor in last months budget, he announced a 50% rise in money for household-scale micro generation schemes. He also zero rated stamp duty on zero carbon homes.

Combine all these factors and I believe there’s some great opportunities to build a business designing, selling and installing micro generation equipment for home owners.

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