Oct 03 - Evening Standard; London (UK)

Owners of power-generating windmills or solar power systems could make money by selling excess electricity back to the national grid, under plans announced by the Tories today.

Homeowners with microgenerators would be entitled to "feedin tariffs" for any extra electricity they manage to generate. This could be used to cover the cost of installing solar panels or windmills, and, eventually, could make them money.

The scheme, announced by shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth, is used in Germany

Warning on axing where it has encouraged more people to turn to renewable energy and has brought down the cost of solar power by 20 per cent in three years.

One of the first to benefit could be David Cameron, who installed a power-generating windmill at his new Notting Hill home. Mr Ainsworth criticised the Government's record on renewable energy.

He said the present target for power supplied by wind, wave and solar power was not nearly enough..

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