Blogs

Ahead of next month’s PV ModuleTech conference in Kuala Lumpur, Solar Media’s head of market research Finlay Colville examines the technology trends UK developers will have to get to grips with if they’re to take advantage of the post-subsidy environment in the UK.

An ambitious project to convert the “grey fleet” of a care home for old folk in Scotland to a sustainable “green fleet”, using solar PV and battery energy storage, was winner of the Residential, Commercial and Industrial-scale Storage Project category at last week’s Solar Power Portal Awards. Andy Colthorpe spoke with the project’s senior design engineer, Jonothan Oxford of Wattstor.

Last week’s Solar & Storage Live saw the UK’s entire supply chain descend on Birmingham’s NEC for three days of industry leading and thought provoking discussions, business brokering and a few celebrations here of there. Liam Stoker summarises some of the things we picked up from the show floor this year.

Managing director of UK energy storage manufacturer Powerflow, Ian Murray, addresses some FAQs on what consumers should be asking about battery system before buying them for their houses.

Liam Stoker reports from Clay Hill Solar Farm, the first solar project to be built in the UK without subsidy support, and discovers how the solar-plus-storage facility was energised.

Our own Finlay Colville reveals that a new 300MW site, to be located in the south of the UK, is moving closer to planning, shifting the UK large-scale pipeline towards the 4GW mark.

Falling system prices have been a key driver of PV’s recent growth and competitiveness, but upfront costs are only one part of the equation for long-term profitability within the solar power industry. Maximising any given system’s cumulative power output over its lifetime is critical to lowering the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) and maximising investment returns.

Last month London’s City Hall launched a consultation on its draft environmental strategy, which included a solar action plan to be driven largely by community energy initiatives. Solar Power Portal spoke to Emma Bridge, CEO of Community Energy England and one of the judges of the upcoming Solar Power Portal Awards, to find out her thoughts on Sadiq Khan’s plans for London.

The UK’s post-subsidy solar project pipeline now stands at more than 3.5GW. Finlay Colville, head of market research at SPP’s publisher Solar Media, provides an overview of these projects, their locations and likely funding models as our most recent pipeline report is released in full.

Rooftop solar is in demand as homeowners seek to boost energy performance and reduce their carbon footprint. As Schweizer’s sales manager for UK and Ireland Martyn Johnson reports, aesthetic appeal is becoming a big driver.