Solar Media Staff

Energy Minister, Greg Barker may have inadvertently misled Parliament over the number of jobs created for the PV industry since the feed-in tariff system was introduced.

After a long period of anticipation, the UK is finally privy to the details of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). At long last we finally have a Government policy to support solar thermal heat generation – well, sort of.

Ecofirst’s PV installation at the RWE npower Visitor Centre, located at Aberthaw power station, caters for school trips and special interest groups and provides tours demonstrating electricity generation; showcasing npower’s efforts to minimise the social and environmental impact of power production.

Finally, after months of anticipation, the UK Government has revealed what the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will look like. After waiting on tenterhooks all morning, the country’s renewable energy industry will now know what kind of payment can be received for generating environmentally-friendly heat.

Emsrayne Ltd, a private sector renewable energy company, is currently seeking planning permission for a four megawatt solar farm in Caddington, Bedfordshire. Following the Government’s feed-in tariff (FiT) initiative to inspire small businesses to create local jobs and reduce CO2 emissions, the company has worked over the last nine months at a cost of circa £100,000 in order to develop the solar park.

Work is now underway on the largest privately owned solar PV Installation in the UK to date.  The vast array, located on farm buildings in the west of rural Herefordshire, stands at 300kW.

As reported yesterday morning, the UK Government has released a draft document promoting its Carbon Plan, which outlines how it imagines the country will actually reach the 2020 carbon emissions targets. Interestingly, there was a little surprise in there for all solar photovoltaic stakeholders currently active in the UK.

Just when I thought the UK’s solar policy couldn’t get any more ridiculous, Chris Huhne made an embarrassing appearance on Channel 4 news. Last night the UK’s Energy Minister made it abundantly clear that he knows nothing about solar, and probably never will.

Enplanner, the online tool for local authority planning departments, developers and individuals wishing to work out how much carbon dioxide proposed developments will produce, was launched last week during the ecobuild exhibition in London.

If you have any type of interest in solar power you may be thinking that it is the renewable energy poster boy for the coming decade. The recent announcement of the Government review on the feed-in tariff scheme however threatens to cast a shadow over the role of solar in the UK.