News

St. Modwen, the UK-based regeneration specialist, has been granted permission to build a 5MW array of solar panels at an old BP Chemicals works site in Port Talbot. The project, which is expected to cost £15 million, will generate enough clean electricity to power around 1,500 homes a year.

Six UK universities are currently combining forces to develop a portable battery pack for British soldiers that will be powered by solar energy. By replacing the currently-used device the forces’ power packs can be made up to 50% lighter.

Germany-based solar power and heating provider Wagner Solar has appointed Kamil Shah as Marketing Manager of its UK branch, where he will be responsible for setting up the marketing department and driving all promotion and communication activities in the UK. Shah joins Wagner Solar UK from Sanyo, where he was European Corporate Communications Manager.

UK Solar Provider Ltd has submitted full planning for a 95kWp rooftop solar system which will be developed on an agricultural farm in South Cambridgeshire, near Royston. This will be the company’s debut solar project in the UK.

BKS Energy, located on the Isle of Wight, has become one of the first in the country to achieve planning permission to build a solar farm. The permission has been granted by the IOW Council to allow for the construction of a 5MW PV park on a 20 acre site containing 21,000 solar panels.

After weeks of yet more uncertainty the fast-track consultation on feed-in tariffs is expected to begin tomorrow. The review, which will more or less determine the future of the UK’s solar industry, has been met with mixed feelings since its disclosure on February 7th.

Marking its entrance into the UK, solar inverter specialist Kinglong New Energy (KLNE) has expressed the great success it experienced as a result of its appearance at the ecobuild exhibition in London. This was the first time KLNE had exhibited in the UK, and found that it housed a very promising solar energy market.

Energy Minister, Greg Barker may have inadvertently misled Parliament over the number of jobs created for the PV industry since the feed-in tariff system was introduced.

Ecofirst’s PV installation at the RWE npower Visitor Centre, located at Aberthaw power station, caters for school trips and special interest groups and provides tours demonstrating electricity generation; showcasing npower’s efforts to minimise the social and environmental impact of power production.

Finally, after months of anticipation, the UK Government has revealed what the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will look like. After waiting on tenterhooks all morning, the country’s renewable energy industry will now know what kind of payment can be received for generating environmentally-friendly heat.