News

Landmark buildings in Cambridge are soon to be recognized for their solar generating power as the council looks to cash in on the Government’s feed-in tariff scheme. By installing solar panels on buildings such as the Corn Exchange and on the roofs of Parkside pools the £430,000 project will also reduce the area’s carbon footprint.

Yorkshire-based Solar Europa has begun work on what is thought to be one of the largest free solar schemes in the UK. Under a £1.2 billion contract signed with project finance specialist AD-ECO, the scheme will see approximately 200,000 council and housing association tenants across the country benefitting from solar panel installations.

Waverley council has signed a deal with Savills Solar for the roll out of solar power across the borough’s social housing sector. A total of 3,000 homes will be checked by Savills for suitability for the scheme, which will see residents benefit from free renewable electricity.

British Gas has been landed with a £1 million fine for misreporting how much renewable electricity it supplied to non-domestic customers under the Renewable Obligation. The error was made over seven years by British Gas Business, which supplies the company’s business customers.

Swiss photovoltaic specialist Tritec has entered the UK solar market, opening a new branch office in Eastleigh, Hampshire. Although the office has just officially opened, the international wholesaler and PV competence partner has been advising UK specialist tradesmen, roof owners and investors in planning, designing and implementing their photovoltaic systems since May 2011.

Labour leader Ed Miliband has today signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on the Coalition to scrap plans to cut the feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaics installations over 50kW. The EDM was signed alongside Labour’s Rosie Winteron and the Shadow Energy and Climate Change team of Meg Hillier, Luciana Berger and Huw…

Liverpool-based Eco Environments will reportedly close its Darlington office, running its North East business from Newcastle.

Forming one of the country’s major driving forces in helping children improve their green awareness, Eco-Schools has arranged for UK educators to participate in a new solar programme. Providing participating schools with free solar electricity the scheme is expected to roll out country-wise from today.

Centrosolar has extended the product warranty for its crystalline modules, manufactured at its Sonnenstromfabrik solar factory in Wismar, Germany, from five to 10 years. Applying retroactively from today, the newly enhanced warranty reinforces the company’s ‘made in Germany’ quality stamp.

Yet again trumping England’s green energy efforts the Scottish Government has today unveiled plans to supply at least 30% of the country’s energy from renewable electricity, heat and transport by 2020. This new goal exceeds the EU’s 2020 renewable energy target of 20% and will be double the UK’s agreed EU target of 15%.