Blogs

A recent media tempest has been brewing in response to the swelling success of the large-scale solar plants in the UK, with mainstream hacks uniting against the installation of solar photovoltaics on green or brown field sites. Several mainstream publications have reported negative comments in relation to solar panels appearing on Britain’s land, claiming that the renewable technology will “blight our countryside,” “waste taxpayers’ money” and “prevent farmers from growing crops”. As I discussed in my recent post, ‘Does the solar panel gold rush really threaten to ruin our countryside?’ none of these points are valid when examined closely.

There has been a lot of recent whining in the mainstream press about solar on farmland ‘ruining our countryside’ and ‘wasting taxpayers’ money’ when the facts have undoubtedly not been analysed. Clearly there is a case for solar power on farmland in the UK…

With the HM Treasury review done and dusted, the feed-in tariff (FiT) for micro-generation that includes solar energy has emerged unscathed. This is good news and a clear indication that both Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians recognise that supporting renewable energy should remain a key strategy to meet carbon reduction goals set for 2020 through 2050.

The Conservative party conference being held in Birmingham this week may prove to be the last word from politicians before the comprehensive spending review by the Treasury is released on the 20th of October.

As noted in our news today, consumer watchdog, Which?, warns that consumers who opt for free solar schemes are losing out on the chance to earn £10,500, since the free solar installation company earns the UK’s generous feed-in tariff rate. Since this report will get many of you hot under the collar, we thought we’d have a look at the pros and cons of installing your own system vs. the free offers, and why people should not feel ripped off if they have already opted for the latter.

The potential solar power has in the UK is becoming more clear as the year progresses. Here at the Solar Power Portal, we have been reporting on all things solar in this country, from FREE installation offers to large-scale power plant plans, but how do you know who you can really trust in this new industry?

This article was co-written by Dr. Kevin Hard, Managing Director of EvoEnergy and Tom Craig, Solar PV Specialist, also at EvoEnergy. EvoEnergy prides itself on being in tune with the market and informing our customers of any market changes and opportunities that we see or think might happen.  We believe and trust the technology; on top of this the new Feed-in Tariff (FIT) incentive has made investing in Solar PV a sound financial investment.    The recent press coverage of ‘solar for free’ has driven interest in the concept through the roof, and subsequently this has led to floods of enquiries to us.  The idea of free solar may sound great, but is this the right way to go?  Should you leave your own money in the bank and get solar for free, or should you stump up yourself with the aim of keeping the FIT money? Or should you finance your purchase with money from the bank?

As expected, another company has jumped on board the free solar bandwagon. Southern-based ISIS Solar has announced its plans for the installation of an initial 18,000 solar systems, beginning in the south of the UK, and working upwards as the year progresses.

A £15 million donation should never be sneezed at, especially when it relates to renewable energy, however many may find the news that British Gas has started a £15 million project to supply 1,100 schools with free solar systems worth between £20,000 and £40,000 pounds each, curious.

This blog is written by Martin Cotterell, the Managing Director of Sundog Energy. The title of this blog (Doing So(lar Business in the UK) is both Sundog Energy’s reason for existence and also the title of a forthcoming seminar in Munich (on the 8th June, immediately prior to the annual InterSolar trade show).