Solar Media Staff

Last week the European Commission ordered Government to remove the legislation that currently allows reduced VAT rates for “green” goods and services on the grounds that it failed to comply with the EU’s VAT Directive. Today, after concerns were raised about the true impact of this move, the European Commission has offered the UK a way round a ruling.

Last night the Renewable Energy Association (REA) held its 7th annual British Renewable Energy Awards in London. Paying tribute to the UK renewable energy industry’s achievements in the last 12 months the event saw more than 300 attendees meet at the boutique Kensington hotel in the Jumeirah Carlton Tower.

Solar manufacturer Trina Solar has now completed the installation of a new solar system at the headquarters of the Lotus F1 Team in Enstone, Oxfordshire. Capable of producing more than 30,000kWh of solar energy each year, the system will be used to power the new Lotus F1 Team simulator, which reproduces lifelike driving conditions for research and optimisation without putting a real car on a racetrack.

The most recent monthly installation figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) suggest that the UK solar industry is finally recovering from the disruption experienced at the beginning of this year.

Plans have emerged this week for a 30MW solar farm, intended to be developed on a former RAF airfield in Suffolk. The site, which spans 150-acres, could power the equivalent of 7,000 homes for a full year if permission is granted.

The rising cost of energy has long had an impact on business profitability; in fact over the past 15 years the compound average annual electricity price increase for a medium-sized business has been almost four percent, which is twice the rate of inflation. This is a concern for UK companies, which are currently exploring ways to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Oxfordshire-based solar company Evergreen PV has now expanded its wholesale services to cover the entire UK, sourcing products for both domestic and commercial projects.

The British Photovoltaics Association (BPVA) has today published the UK Solar PV Industry Charter, which sets out how the UK solar industry is delivering significant opportunities to the UK and its economy, and how it intends to continue to deliver these benefits in partnership with Government.

Enevis, in partnership with the Apollo Group, has completed one of the largest multi-installation solar projects in London. After being awarded the contract in January this year the company managed to install a total of 500 systems in Walthamstow in a space of just three months.

In a bid to reduce the evident risk involved in low carbon investment the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has set up a working group in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University designed to help mobilise private investment in climate change solutions.