Opinions

While Brexit looms, bringing uncertainty into the country’s economy and international relationships, the role energy storage will play in a decentralised, low(er) carbon and more flexible energy system at least seems a little more assured than it did before.

The UK’s “rapidly maturing” solar operations and maintenance (O&M) market must adopt a service desk-style culture like that seen in the computing industry if contractors are to survive.

The imminent capacity market auction could offer some clues on the direction of travel, writes Terry Macalister, but the government could be missing a trick by not steering the mechanism down a greener path.

The Treasury has ridden roughshod over other government departments, cancelling long-established environmental policies and projects at short notice in favour of more immediate priorities, according to a damning report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).

We need your help to make sure SPP can do everything in its power to support UK solar in 2017. We’ll even throw in a prize!

The chief executive of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has expressed the body’s disappointment over the delay in the government’s response to the NIC’s Smart Power report and its recommendations for electricity storage systems.

Public support for the government’s chosen energy generating technologies has seen a “statistically significant” drop according to the latest public attitudes survey from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The verdict of last week’s National Audit Office report into the Levy Control Framework was damning for the government, but nothing UK solar wasn’t already fully aware of. If the government must be more transparent in the future, Perhaps it could start by confirming just how – as the NAO report seems to show – it allowed rhetoric – rather than fact – to dictate policy.

As the pipeline of solar projects continues to grow in Ireland, the gap between the number of grid applications submitted and the number of planning applications becomes more evident. After attending ISEA’s recent planning workshop, Lauren Cook, research analyst at Solar Media, explains why developers should work closer with planners on future projects.

The government has been accused of “worrying complacency” over Scotland’s renewable energy sector after its response to a recent report avoided specific calls for an indication of support for renewable electricity generators and technologies.