Solar Media Staff

Yorkshire has topped the UK renewable investment league for the period between April 1, 2011 to 31 March 2012. The UK’s largest county invested almost two billion pounds in renewable energy, creating over 5,400 in the process. 

Upbeat Energy has completed a bulk purchase project in Cambridgeshire, involving the installation of solar PV on more than 75 local buildings.

Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth has been refused planning permission to fit his Grade II listed mansion with a solar thermal module. Hounslow Council initially rejected the appeal, stating that the “inappropriate size and positing [of the solar module] would not preserve the architectural and historic significance of the listed building.”

German solar manufacturer, Azur Solar’s independent electricity system, Azur Independa, has been awarded the prestigious Plus X Award for “Best Product of the Year 2012” and “Most Innovative Brand of Year 2012.”

Sixteen fire stations across Lincolnshire are benefiting from the installation of solar arrays, as part of the services wider push towards reducing its energy consumption by 20 percent before 2013.

Houses in Bloor Homes’ Littecombe housing development are now generating their own clean electricity thanks to the installation of Redland solar PV tiles. The housing development turned to Redland to help the development meet the required level of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Wrexham Council’s ambitious solar scheme saw 3,000 homes across the county receive solar arrays, in what was one of the largest solar social housing outfits in Europe.

Canadian Solar, one of the world’s largest solar companies, has set a new solar cell efficiency record of 21.1 percent with its ELPS solar cell

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has announced that it has partnered with Cumbrian-based Sundog Energy to spearhead the company’s push into the UK solar market. The distribution arm of Sundog Energy, Sundog Wholesale will be the first to stock Samsung’s black-framed 250W panels in the UK.

All investors are looking for high returns and minimal risk. Solar PV in the UK can be considered as such a good investment in the UK; indeed, its characteristics are compelling for investors and consumers alike. With guaranteed index-linked, tax free feed-in tariff payments for at least 20 years, onsite renewable energy generation, lower energy bills and reduced carbon emissions one would expect thousands of people to be waiting in the queue for a system and all installers to be booked out. But the opposite is the case. There is little demand in the whole market. All installers are lowering their prices hoping to attract customers, but the demand is almost not picking up. This blog post examines why this is the case.