News

A solar research team at the University of Oxford have been awarded the Materials Science Venture Prize by the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers to help develop technology that will reduce the manufacturing costs of new-generation solar photovoltaic cells.

Parity Projects is now in the final stages of launching a project designed to open up Government’s upcoming Green Deal to organisations of all sizes. The Green Deal Conduit will build a network of small and medium sized organisations involved in the assessment and refurbishment buildings throughout the UK. To date SMEs have voiced concerns that the scheme will only benefit larger companies.

PV product manufacturer Motech Industries has recently been awarded with UK accreditation for its range of solar inverters. The certificate of compliance with the Engineering Recommendation (ER) G59/2 was issued by the Energy Networks Association (ENA).

Solar PV manufacturing specialist Trina Solar has today announced the launch of the Trina Solar Training Academy, which will deliver online seminars and on-site workshops for distribution partners and installers working with Trina Solar products in the UK.

According to Government’s latest Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices report the UK generated a record amount of renewable energy during the first quarter of 2012. More than 11 percent of the country’s electricity generation was attributed to output from solar, wind and renewable heat sources during this period.

The latest Government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) statistics, published on June 28, show an evident rise in the number of engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships in the UK. Provisional data shows that in the first nine months of the 2011/12 academic year 44,130 candidates started an apprenticeship in these areas compared to 48,970 starts in the entire 12 month 2010/11 academic year.

Astronergy has signed a distribution deal with Libra Energy B.V. in a bid to increase its product portfolio in European markets. Under the terms of the agreement, Libra will sell Astronergy’s range of PV modules in the UK, Benelux and Greece.

Renewable energy project developer TGC Renewables has secured planning approval for an 8MW solar park to be built in the southwest.

Canadian Solar has signed an agreement with Edmundson Electrical that will see the latter act as authorised reseller for Canadian Solar’s modules for distribution in the UK. Edmundson Electrical, a distributor of electrical equipment to trade and industry in the UK, will now include Canadian Solar’s solar module range in its product offerings to UK installers.

A Government-commissioned report has found that UK homeowners are wasting more than £1 billion a year powering appliances they are not using.