Microgeneration: Good Idea or Not?

Microgeneration (the generation of electrical or heat energy from renewable sources) has been in the headlines recently, and it may seem obvious to go ahead with a microgeneration scheme if you can, but is this necessarily true?
You may have heard about the Feed-in Tariff or the ‘Clean Energy Cashback Scheme’. You may have seen the TV adverts from HomeSun, who are offering to fit a free solar photovoltaic (PV) system to suitable houses which will give you free electricity from the sun.
Various newspapers (e.g. the Daily Mail) and involved organisations (the Energy Saving Trust’s webpage is very informative) will give information of varying quality and from differing standpoints. Now, Consumer Focus have produced a factsheet on microgeneration that will hopefully answer some of your questions.

It should also be noted that Dartmoor National Park have provided specific guidance on the installation of micro-renewables (including solar PV panels).