Blogs

Finlay Colville, head of Solar Media’s Market Research division, takes a look at some of the emerging trends to look for in UK solar in 2018, and what they mean for the country’s largest asset holders.

Lior Handelsman, VP of marketing and product strategy at SolarEdge, examines how solar system monitoring software can be used to improve customer acquisition strategies in a post- or reduced-FiT environment.

Stuart Elmes, whose company Viridian Solar secured an exclusive supply deal with housebuilder Persimmon Homes earlier this month, discusses the opportunity for solar PV in the new-build housing market.

Liam Stoker looks ahead to tomorrow lunchtime to see what the UK’s solar industry might expect to see within Philip Hammond’s – and the UK’s – first Autumn Budget.

Leonie Greene, head of external affairs at the Solar Trade Association, previews the organisation’s new report on solar thermal and implores UK installers to revisit the technology.

Liam Stoker draws parallels between the UK’s comparatively meagre solar growth forecasts, Brexit, and “talking Britain down”.

Last week, renewables developer and investor Hazel Capital was acquired by Gresham House. Tony Dalwood, chief executive of the asset management group, explains to Solar Power Portal what the acquisition means for both Gresham House and Hazel Capital; what projects will be brought forward from the existing pipeline; and what uncertainties lay ahead for UK energy storage.

Liam Stoker takes a look at the acronym-tastic review of energy costs, led by Dieter Helm, which recommended, among more than 60 other things, the phasing out of CfDs and the introduction of equivalent firm power auctions.

The UK’s large-scale battery storage installations have reached 100MW of capacity, made up of around 50 individual sites larger than 250kW. However, as Solar Media Market Research analyst Lauren Cook explains, data from the UK Battery Storage Project Database report shows that this is just the beginning, with revenue stream patterns emerging to show how projects are proving to be successful.

Earlier this month Solarcentury chief Frans van den Heuvel became the fifth recipient of the Solar Power Portal Awards’ outstanding achievement accolade. We caught up with Frans to discuss his five years at the helm of one of the UK solar industry’s stalwarts and what the future might hold for the firm.