News

Government’s decision to appeal to the Supreme Court has been roundly criticised by the solar industry, which had hoped for a modicum of certainty following a Court of Appeal decision which upheld that the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had acted illegally when it slashed feed-in tariff (FiT) rates before the consultation closed.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has launched a set of proposals on changes to the Building Regulations regime, which could boost the uptake of Green Deal measures. Under the new requirements, building owners carrying out extensions or conversions could be forced to add energy efficiency improvements worth 10 percent of the value of the improvements.

In its Green Deal consultation submission, sent to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) before the January 18 deadline, Worcester Bosch warned Government that commission-based assessors might be tempted to inaccurately sell Green Deal finance packages.

Thames Water has announced that all 3.7MW of its solar projects have been signed off by Ofgem at the 30.7p/kWh pre-cut feed-in tariff rates. By completing the installations before the 12.9p rate kicked in, the company will generate a potential income difference of millions of pounds over the lifespan of the feed-in tariff scheme.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has confirmed that Business Secretary Vince Cable will this month reveal the location of Government’s much-anticipated Green Investment Bank (GIB) later this month. Since plans for the £3 billion bank were announced, 32 towns and cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Liverpool have been in the running to host its headquarters.

One week ago today, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) lost its appeal against the High Court ruling in December that its proposals to change the feed-in tariff rates for solar PV were “unlawful.” However, since then, Government has decided to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court and they have 28 days from…

Stepping up the UK’s commitment to community-owned renewable energy, a partnership of civil society leaders will today meet with Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to instigate the ‘vision for community energy.'

The Buck family, who own and operate Jack Buck Farms, have embraced solar technology by installing two separate solar PV systems on the farm’s outbuildings.

China-based photovoltaics designer, manufacturer, and distributor Clenergy has welcomed a new member to its growing UK team. Michael Middlemast, who joined the company on January 1, has been appointed UK Sales Manager.

At the beginning of yet another tense week in the UK solar…