The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published the latest solar photovoltaic installation figures for 2012, which show that from January 8–22, 2,711 solar PV installs were registered for the feed-in tariff scheme.
The current rate of install follows the dramatic drop the industry experienced in the first week of 2012, which saw only 532 systems registered from January 1–8.
DECC’s figures indicate that the industry is slowly recovering from the shock of swingeing cuts to the solar PV rate, as installs have climbed back inline with rates the UK experienced in March 2011. The graph below illustrates the incredible spike in solar PV installs in the UK during the run-up to December 12, after which a dramatic fall-off occurred as Government slashed FiT rates by over 50 percent.
Of the 2,711 systems registered, only 11 ssytems in the 10–50kW range were installed, accounting for 263kWp of capacity added to the grid. In contrast, 87 percent of capacity added from January 8–22 was less than 4kW.
Following the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the High Court’s verdict that the December 12 reference date was illegal, and DECC’s consequent Supreme Court challenge, the industry is still operating under considerable uncertainty. Until the legal battle currently being fought is resolved, installers cannot confidently quote exact feed-in tariff figures to potential customers. As the conclusion of the legal battle will most likely not be until after the March 3 reference date, installers can only guarantee customers a minimum FiT rate of 21p for <4kW systems.
The uncertainty the industry is currently experiencing is expected to be reflected in the market, as level of installs are predicted to stagnate.