PV

While the government rails against ground-mount and the commercial rooftop sector awaits its rocket boosters, car ports offer a tangible market for UK installers. Peter Bennett explores the possibility for car ports to help shelter the industry from the storm

After the frenetic pace of 2014, solar companies will be focused on the straight line to March. It’s going to be a challenging period for many developers and EPCs working in the UK market, but we believe the future remains bright for solar energy into 2015 and beyond.

In the October edition of Solar Business Focus UK I reflected on how the new National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) had resulted in some very different interpretations from the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on how that guidance should be applied when determining planning appeals for ground mounted solar.

New and additional delays in completing ground-mounted solar farms has necessitated further adjustments by NPD Solarbuzz to the 2014 calendar year estimates for UK solar PV deployment levels.

It was perhaps to be expected. Announce a mid-term policy review with potentially show-stopping timelines, and there will always be a near-term rush to exploit short-term business options.

To many, it may seem somewhat surprising that rooftop PV deployment has been the segment of dominance in the UK until now. Talk of ROCs and CfDs certainly dominates the press, and the concerns of many in both the government and the domestic PV sector.

Jim Wallace of Seaward Solar highlights why electrical testing of solar PV installations is a fundamental requirement for all roof and ground-mounted systems.

Cambridge University has invested in a unique 78.75kWp solar array to help power its new sports centre.

New solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity additions during 2014 from the UK have now exceeded the 2GW level, a level never reached before in UK.

Here we go again. On Sunday, the department of environment and rural affairs (Defra) released one of the most astonishing press releases I’ve ever seen.