Clean Energy

Pensions Infrastructure Platform (PiP) has reached an agreement with Trina Solar to acquire a portfolio of six UK solar sites with a combined capacity of 30MW following the successful conclusion of each farm’s construction phase.

Seven primary schools in the Glasgow area are to be fitted with solar panels with a combined total capacity of 350kWp under plans by the city council to reduce emissions by 30% by 2020.

Rebecca Long-Bailey has been appointed shadow secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy in place of Clive Lewis, who stepped down in opposition to Jeremy Corbyn’s three-line whip in favour of the Article 50 bill.

National Grid is considering moving away from one and two year contracts within its grid balancing tenders, which according to the system operator’s UK director do not reflect the transition needed within the energy system in the future.

Nominations for the Solar Power Portal Awards 2017 are now open, and product innovation will once again return as a category.

Industry officials have criticised a lack of encouragement for green energy projects after battery storage won just over 10MW of combined capacity in the latest capacity market auction, well down on the success enjoyed by the technology in December’s T-4 bidding process.

Construction is underway on a new solar project from Swindon Borough Council, which will couple income from 1.2 ROCs with savings from a private wire with the Swindon household waste recycling centre to produce substantial new cash flows for the council.

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.

North Ayrshire Council has approved plans to investigate interest among its social housing tenants for the installation of solar PV on around 500 homes in an attempt to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions in the region.

The number of large-scale solar asset holders will rapidly reduce over the next few years as consolidation takes hold of the UK market, according to a panel convened on the first day of the Solar Finance & Investment Europe conference in London.