Octopus Energy pays UK homes Rs 1,060 crore for solar power

Octopus Energy has paid its UK customers nearly Rs 1,060 crore (£100 million) over the past year for surplus solar power they sold back to the grid. More than 400,000 households signed up to the company's export tariffs exported around 825 GWh of electricity, earning an average of Rs 25,900 (£244) per home.

Demand for solar installations surged during the recent heatwave. Octopus Energy said almost 74,000 people enquired about fitting solar panels between May and July, a 34 per cent increase from the same period last year. Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product and marketing officer at Octopus, said the growing number of homes generating clean energy helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels and strengthens the energy system.

Separately, climate campaigners led by Green New Deal Rising have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging stronger action on heatwaves, wildfires and drought. Hannah Martin, a co-director of the group, criticised the government for failing to publicly link extreme weather to climate change. The campaigners called on Burnham to bring the same clarity he showed as mayor to his role as prime minister.