Solar Markets & Finance

The feed-in tariff is attracting all types of new entrants to the UK solar industry and not all of them are reputable. Do these companies truly understand our market conditions?

UK photovoltaic glass company, Romag, experienced an 11% fall in turnover to £9.1m in what the company describes as a “turbulent year.” However, since the announcement of the feed-in tariff, sales have began to pick up moving the specialist glass maker back into the black at the operating level, with profits of £301,000 in the first half to March 31 compared with a loss of £1.3m previously.

The UK government has announced that as of 06.00 am this morning (May 24) the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP), which has supplied grants for microgeneration technologies for households, community organisations, schools, the public sector and businesses in the UK since 2006, is closed.

Khosla Ventures, the venture assistance firm that focuses on cleantech and information technology startups, has formed a strategic partnership with Tony Blair Associates.

According to a text released to journalists on May 12, just a day after the new coalition government was formed in the UK, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration has pledged to increase its targets for renewables.

Exactly one month since the introduction of Feed-in-Tariffs, the energy industry has seen an unprecedented boom in solar enquiries from homeowners hurrying to make the most of the scheme’s financial benefits.

The Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties have both pledged to boost the financial support available to small-scale renewable electricity generators under the clean-energy cashback scheme, it emerged today (April 28).

The energy and climate change spokesmen from the three main political parties last night (April 21) argued over how to boost the approval-rate of wind farm applications and whether nuclear power is a help or a hindrance to renewables.

The Conservative Party has spoken out on swirling reports that it is prepared to make major overhauls to current UK renewable energy policies if elected.

Plans were yesterday unveiled for a new GBP£280,000 national training centre, designed to help tackle the emerging shortfall in skilled contractors capable of installing microgeneration technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines.