If the FIT wasn't in place, it would have not been economically viable for those companies to install PV systems on all the rented roofs. Fundamentally, if a PV installation costs £10K and is likely to generate £7K of electricity say in its lifetime, and if the government wants to subsidise that installation to the tune of £5K over its lifetime, then someone sees a £2K profit and decides its worth investing. Whether it's a house owner investing their own £7k or a company investing their own money and renting a roof, the net effect is the same - the government fork out £5K to facilitate the building of one more PV installation that otherwise wouldn't have been built.
If the FIT wasn't in place, it would have not been economically viable for those companies to install PV systems on all the rented roofs. Fundamentally, if a PV installation costs £10K and is likely to generate £7K of electricity say in its lifetime, and if the government wants to subsidise that installation to the tune of £5K over its lifetime, then someone sees a £2K profit and decides its worth investing. Whether it's a house owner investing their own £7k or a company investing their own money and renting a roof, the net effect is the same - the government fork out £5K to facilitate the building of one more PV installation that otherwise wouldn't have been built.
