PV

Bradford Cathedral has become the first cathedral in the UK to generate its own electricity from the sun, thanks to a solar system installed by Cumbria-based solar specialists, Sundog Energy.

The newly-introduced feed-in tariff (FiT) degression model means that, yet again, the amount of money a household gets for each kWh of solar energy they put back in the utility grid has declined. From November 2012, systems smaller than 4kWp will only receive 15.44p/kWh.

Truro School in Cornwall now hosts one of the largest on-roof solar PV arrays installed in the country.

Burgess Hill-based Oskomera Solar Power Solutions UK Ltd has completed a series of ground-mounted solar parks across Devon. The three solar parks total 3.5MW of solar capacity that will significantly help cut the county’s carbon footprint.

Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre in Sheffield is home to the first European application of Trina Solar’s newly-launched flat-roof solar PV mounting system Trinamount III.

The small village of Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire is now home to the UK’s first solar-powered waste treatment plant after Lightsource Renewable Energy Ltd joined forces with Solarcentury to install a 5MW solar park.

Dartford-based solar installer, Enevis, faced a unique set of problems when installing a major solar PV array at private medical insurance group AXA PPP’s Tunbridge Wells offices. The tall, town centre office block only allowed limited access to the roof through an enclosed central courtyard.

A new 792-module strong solar array in Scotland has been praised by the country’s Energy Minister. The solar plant is based at the Malcom Allan Housebuilders warehouse in Kintore and is predicted to generate over 114,000kWh of clean, green electricity a year.

Warwickshire-based automotive tool specialists, the Tool Connection, has invested in solar panels to help drive down its manufacturing costs.

The National Solar Centre hopes to provide an excellent opportunity for the solar PV industry to grow, mature and thrive to become up to a 22GW market by 2020. Here’s how: