PV

Stuart Elmes, CEO at Viridian Solar and director at the Solar Trade Association, gives his two cents on this week’s long-awaited announcements from the government and Ofgem.

UK solar jobs, turnover and operating companies all witnessed significant declines last year as a result of what the Renewable Energy Association has termed a Westminster policy ‘bonfire’.

Lightsource and BlackRock Real Assets have combined to launch a £1 billion play to consolidate the UK’s secondary solar market.

Yesterday’s development from Ofgem and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have garnered a significant response from the industry, the majority of which has been overwhelmingly positive.

Yesterday the government and Ofgem published its strategy for a modernised, smart and flexible power system, the result of its eagerly anticipated response to last year’s Smart Power Call for Evidence. Solar Power Portal picks through the document to assess how the domestic solar and storage industries may benefit.

Business secretary Greg Clark has unveiled the first phase of a £246 million investment in battery technology with the launch of the Faraday Challenge, designed to boost research and development and position the UK at the forefront of energy storage.

Asset manager Cubico Sustainable Investments has announced that Stephen Riley has been named its new chief executive officer.

The European Commission has proposed an alternative floor price setting mechanism to replace the minimum import price’s (MIP) current linkage to Bloomberg prices.

Fires involving solar panels are most commonly caused by errors in the installation process rather than any particular technological faults, a new report by both the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the government has concluded.

Widespread curtailment of solar generators that had been planned for the Isle of Wight between July and October will be largely avoided following intense negotiations between SSE and a consortium of affected generators on the island.