I will be honest, I was keen to get panels mostly as a regular early adopter of tech, I didn't even think (maybe didn't even know) about how it was funded at the time, and I was only able to get them as I had some windfall money (inheritance) to invest. I wasn't interested in income then, only to the point that it would eventually reach the day when the panels paid for themselves and after that I would start earning.
For me it was quite a sizeable single lump to invest at the time at the time but I was fairly sure it was reasonably risk free. No-one saw the current high energy costs coming, or the havoc it would wreak, or the inflation which has bumped up the FIT, especially 12 years ago.
I've now had about £15.7k paid back to me, plus a modest amount saved on my bills (I think £576 but I can't remember how my spreadsheet works!). That's about 3.7% compound (albeit tax free) at the moment, ignoring the about £1.2k I had to pay for a replacement inverter and also some costs on protecting the panels from pigeons. It's hardly a fortune.
I don't really like that it is seen as exploitative and I'm not sure that's entirely fair, as to me exploitation implies intent. I didn't go in it to exploit, and AFAIR fuel poverty wasn't quite the "thing" it now is (though I suppose it existed). Whatever, if FF doesn't like his FIT payments I'm sure a charity will be very grateful for them, but it is part of my income now which I'd sooner not give up or have taken away.
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