After Solar Power Portal last week reported that photovoltaic installations in the UK had reached incredible figures that not even the most optimistic of us would have expected, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has revealed how many installs were registered on the MCS system in the week running up to the December 12 deadline.
According to DECC, between December 4 and 12, a staggering 29,937 installations were registered for the feed-in tariff scheme.
Solar PV systems installed between these dates accounted for 125.93MW of the UK’s solar capacity, 80.16MW of which was sub 50kW.
The astonishing figures show that since October 31, when changes to the feed-in tariff were announced, an astronomical 351.83MW of solar capacity has been installed in the UK. In just six weeks the UK has more than doubled capacity, with 51 percent of 2011’s installed capacity put in place after DECC’s announcement.
December 12, deadline day, saw a further 95 sub 50kW installations registered on the MCS database.
The incredible surge of installations showcase the prodigious amount of work the UK solar industry has put in to beat the feed-in tariff deadline.
The Government is still in consultation over the cut to the feed-in tariff, which took effect on December 12. The passing of the deadline will give solar installers a much-needed rest, however a great deal of uncertainty still hangs over the industry as it now enters a period of limbo between the consultation closing and the new FiT rates being confirmed.
