Solar Markets & Finance

While Whitehall has done its best to undermine the UK solar industry over the past six months, many figures in local government continue to pledge their support for the sector. Jeremy Birch, the leader of Hastings Borough Council, is latest municipal politician to do just this after urging residents to make Hastings into a “solar-powered town”.

Solar energy has moved into the spotlight of late, making celebrity appearances on the Channel 4 show The Secret Millionaire as well as BBC 2’s Dragons’ Den. Following success on these mainstream programmes, businessman Paul Williams and entrepreneur Ben Way have formed solar initiative Freetricity, while Ploughcroft Solar’s Managing Director Chris Hopkins secured £120,000 of investment to inject into his installation company.

After supporting over 30MW of large-scale solar in the UK, Octopus Investments has confirmed its intention to make further investments in solar energy, with funding from some of its lower risk, capital preservation-focused investments.

Ikaros Solar UK, the commercial solar installation company, is inviting business owners and landlords to free workshops across the country to help educate them on the potential of solar power. Over the coming months Ikaros will hold seminars on how to generate savings and financial returns by utilising renewable energy.

The 100% renewable energy supplier, Good Energy has today announced its intention to freeze its electricity prices until at least 2012. The company, which has not raised its prices since 2008, aims to make green energy more accessible to the masses through competitive pricing.

Thames Water has signed a £7 million contract with Ennoviga Solar, which could see the utility company named as the UK’s largest on-site solar power producer and industrial user. Under the terms of the 25-year agreement, Ennoviga will own and maintain the solar arrays, selling the electricity generated back to Thames Water in order to recoup the investment.

Social housing repairs and maintenance service provider Mears Group has announced a new contract for the installation of photovoltaic solar panels in and around Peterborough. The contract, to be executed in partnership with British Gas, has been signed with Cross Keys Homes.

The first day of August, which we have all been talking about since early March, is finally here. Marking the beginning of new, lower feed-in tariff rates for all photovoltaic installations over 50kW, today signifies the end of the UK’s solar industry as we know it.

Cornish sustainable energy charity Community Energy Plus has launched a new scheme that will see community buildings, schools, churches, charities and farm buildings generate their own renewable energy – for free. After securing an investment package of £20 million from local photovoltaics installers, the Solar Communities 2011 programme will encourage those who cannot afford the upfront cost of solar to take the plunge.

After solar installation firm Eco Environments’ claimed that a number of UK councils were going against Government’s guidance by wrongly telling people they require planning permission or Building Regulations approval, one of the listed offenders has admitted that it was wrong.