Large-Scale Solar

Social housing tenants are set to benefit from a new Government-run scheme, which has pledged £3 million to help cut rising bill costs. The funding will be put towards the installation of eco-heaters, including solar thermal panels.

Epsom Council is currently locking horns with its residents over solar panel installations which it believes damage the ‘character and visual quality’ of the area. According to Your Local Guardian, two Epsom homeowners, who have each paid up to £14,000 for the installation of solar panels, have been ordered to remove…

Solar installer the Green Electrician has finished work on PV systems for six farms in Shropshire. The portfolio, totalling 714kWp, took just three months to install and was completed ahead of the deadline for the feed-in tariff cuts of August 1.

Solar power is set to play a lead role in the new BBC Wales studios in Cardiff Docks. Krannich Solar and EcoFirst have installed a 50kW system at the studios, which will be one of the centerpieces in the £200 million redevelopment of the docks.

Tenesol has become the latest solar module manufacturer to receive the Government's Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation. The certification, which is a prerequisite in order to sell PV systems in the UK under the feed-in tariff (FiT), has been awarded to Tenesol’s advanced modules.

The UK’s largest land owner, the Crown Estate, has given solar power its stamp of approval by installing a 164.5kWp rooftop system on a stone factory on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Albion Stone, the owner of the factory, will save thousands of pounds on its annual electricity bill thanks to the system, which is expected to generate 150,000 kWh a year. Electricity generated from the £500,000 installation will be sold to Albion Stone at a reduced rate, with any surplus fed in to the National Grid.

Kettering-based Street Energy is launching a new scheme offering free PV systems for over 500 Midlands homes. The arrangement will see Street Energy utilise the ‘roof-lease’ model, whereby it will receive the benefits of the Government’s feed-in tariff (FiT) in exchange for installing the 2.8kW systems at no cost to the homeowner.

Reading Borough Council is considering installing solar panels on the town’s schools and council buildings in an attempt to tackle escalating energy costs. On Wednesday the council’s cabinet met to discuss the feasibility of the £5 million solar scheme.

Sputnik’s SolarMax inverters will convert the electricity from Solarcentury's recently-completed 5MW plant to the UK power grid. The system, located on Mingay Farm in Cambridgeshire, is the joint largest development in the country and was installed before the FiT-reduction deadline.

HomeSun is launching a new campaign to help raise awareness about the UK’s solar subsidy scheme. The campaign is being run with the help of public relations agency Hanover and aims to boost solar installations among residential users nationwide.