Blogs

Since yesterday’s feed-in tariff bomb was dropped in the House of Commons by the now-infamous Minister of State Greg Barker, there has been a lot of squabbling in the UK solar industry. A large majority were pleased with the results of the consultation, while others continued to berate Government with their now worn torrent of abuse.

It’s easy to get swept up in the hysteria surrounding the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s handling of solar PV feed-in tariff rates. What seemed like a drastic cut was rushed through undoubtedly too quick and, as a result, industry was left reeling. However, we must remember that industry also managed to mobilise in spectacular fashion to install an incredible 380MW in the six-weeks running up to December 12.

God bless Conservative MP Tim Yeo for speaking truth to power, in a month when leaders of the UK renewables industry showed signs of weakening in that resolve.

For quite some time I have been puzzled as to the passivity of the whole of the electricity supply industry over what is coming down the tracks on Electricity Market Reform (EMR).

The general malaise engulfing the solar industry at the moment is challenging. It is tempting to blame the current stagnation on Governmental policies. After all, solar has been forced to swallow swingeing feed-in tariff cuts paired with prohibitive new EPC requirements that have constricted the market.

Fairly understandably, I am getting a large number of enquires on the likely publication date for Edition 3 of the solar PV installation guide. The short answer is that I don’t know – but there is an MCS PV working group this Thursday that will hopefully provide the answer.

IEC 62446 Grid connected PV systems – minimum requirements for system documentation, commissioning tests and inspection.

As mortgage complications have become apparent with the ‘rent-a-roof’ scheme; a popular and accessible method of upgrading domestic properties with solar panels is under threat. With April’s installation figures indicating a considerable decline in domestic solar installations, the market has clearly been affected by the March feed-in tariff (FiT) deadline. However it’s not all bad news, as the absence of the ‘Free Solar’ outlet presents an opportunity for new and further evolved finance options to step forward. This article will explore the most prominent of these new approaches.

The Solar Trade Association (STA) is carefully watching the significant tail-off in installations since the introduction of energy efficiency requirements on April 1 this year. With DECC publishing weekly data on the feed-in tariff scheme’s capacity, all eyes are on deployment.

Given the growth in solar PV installations in the last couple of years, news of what is believed to be the UK’s first PV system fire should not, perhaps, have been unexpected.