Guest Blog

After the frenetic pace of 2014, solar companies will be focused on the straight line to March. It’s going to be a challenging period for many developers and EPCs working in the UK market, but we believe the future remains bright for solar energy into 2015 and beyond.

In the October edition of Solar Business Focus UK I reflected on how the new National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) had resulted in some very different interpretations from the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on how that guidance should be applied when determining planning appeals for ground mounted solar.

Gaynor Hartnell looks at the scope for change in the way electricity is traded and asks what needs to be done to realise the benefits available. It is often felt that generators are overlooked in the discussion of different market models. Hartnell argues that if there are benefits to be had, then the generator should be a key beneficiary.

New and additional delays in completing ground-mounted solar farms has necessitated further adjustments by NPD Solarbuzz to the 2014 calendar year estimates for UK solar PV deployment levels.

It was perhaps to be expected. Announce a mid-term policy review with potentially show-stopping timelines, and there will always be a near-term rush to exploit short-term business options.

To many, it may seem somewhat surprising that rooftop PV deployment has been the segment of dominance in the UK until now. Talk of ROCs and CfDs certainly dominates the press, and the concerns of many in both the government and the domestic PV sector.

Jim Wallace of Seaward Solar highlights why electrical testing of solar PV installations is a fundamental requirement for all roof and ground-mounted systems.

South coast organisation awarded £15,000 at SEUK 2014 in recognition of its efforts to relieve plight of those in fuel poverty

New solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity additions during 2014 from the UK have now exceeded the 2GW level, a level never reached before in UK.

Finlay Colville asks if onshore wind will weigh in to the current CfD auction. And, if so, what impact will it have on PV deployment?