News

Cobham Hall, the original home of The Ashes, has installed a 50kWp solar system on its roof.

In the lead up to April 1 the UK solar industry continued to install at top speed, with more than 32MW completed between March 25 and April 1. This increased capacity has pushed the market well beyond the 1GW mark and now, leading research analysts are predicting that global solar PV installations will grow by at least 3.5 percent and up to 21 percent in 2012 – despite feed-in tariff (FiT) cuts across the board.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) and Solar Century, the main protagonists behind the recent legal challenges over Government’s handling of the solar feed-in tariff, have spearheaded recommendations that ministers adopt an ‘Under-Deployment Trigger’ that would see FiT rates rise if installations fell short of expectations.

The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has today revealed a new £20 million funding pot, which will help UK farmers, foresters and horticulturalists develop green projects.

In anticipation of the Green Deal rollout, E.ON has revealed a £100,000 funding package to help with the recruitment of 100 energy efficiency apprentices. This commitment follows Government‘s £3.5m fund to train 1,000 apprentices in relevant Green Deal skills.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has today launched the Big Society Bank, which will fund community schemes and social enterprises across the UK.

Leeds County Council is set to roll out a network of solar-powered street map signs at 25 different sites across the city.

GGFi, the insurance division of the Glass & Glazing Federation, has launched a new insurance-backed scheme, designed to protect consumers from the possibility that their installer ceases to trade.

Easy MCS has signed a partnership agreement with solar photovoltaics manufacturer, Winaico. Together the companies will offer an exclusive discount programme, which will assist installers with the costs of entering the renewable marketplace.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has today issued a Call for Evidence to gauge whether the home insulation market is actually benefitting consumers. OFT has made the decision to analyse the energy efficiency markets in the UK before the implementation of the Green Deal, which is expected later this year.