week ending 21 December 2012
PV & FiTs
Solar PV installations accounted for 99% of all feed-in tariff-registered installs in the UK this year, according to regulator Ofgem’s annual FiT report. The report shows that during the scheme’s second year (covering 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012) a total of 217,741 installations were registered. The FiT scheme has seen a massive 620% rise in installations from its first year, which saw just over 30,200 installations registered.
Solar Portal 20th Dec 2012 more >>
Late FiTs
More than a third (36%) of Which? members who get paid for the electricity they generate from solar panels told us they have had a problem getting their feed-in tariff (FIT) paid, an exclusive Which? survey has revealed. Energy companies ask you to pay bills quickly but they can take up to 90 days to pay you, leaving customers waiting months for hundreds of pounds.
Which 20th Dec 2012 more >>
Grid Problems
National Grid has outlined concerns over the likely technical challenges that would arise from integrating anything more than 10GW of solar electricity on the UK power grid. In a solar PV briefing note published alongside the Renewable Obligation banding yesterday, the UK grid operator said that incorporating more than 10GW of solar would place excessive strain on the grid without the construction of new storage capacity. The briefing note is intended to help inform the Department for Energy and Climate Change about the potential impact of significant solar capacity in the UK, modelling up to the minister’s oft-stated ambition of 22GW of solar by 2020.
Solar Portal 19th Dec 2012 more >>
Solar Coal
The irony could hardly be richer. Big Pit, Wales’s national coal museum and a vivid, living reminder of the country’s most famous heavy industry, has announced the installation of 200 solar panels. About 6% of the museum’s energy will be generated thanks to the photovoltaic panels set up on the roof of its main museum building in Blaenafon, south Wales.
Guardian 19th Dec 2012 more >>
National Solar Centre
A dedicated National Solar Centre is to be launched early next year to help drive the UK PV industry towards the 22GW capacity target anticipated by government. The centre has secured a £1.1 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund, and the Building Research Establishment (BRE), which is overseeing the project, is now looking for staff to run it. The £1.1 million NSC will be based in new-build offices in St Austell, Cornwall, one of the UK’s leading solar regions.
Solar Portal 19th Dec 2012 more >>
Solar Century Parks
Planning applications by Solarcentury for over 50MW of solar parks, worth almost £56.5 million, in Norfolk, Suffolk and Southampton, have been approved by the respective councils. Breckland Council in Norfolk voted on the 14.8MW Hardingham Solar Park near Wymondham, the 11.5MW Lexham Solar Park near Litcham and the 11.5MW Fontaine solar park near Narborough. In Suffolk, Waveney Council voted in favour of Solarcentury’s application for a 12.3MW Chediston solar park near Halesworth. The Suffolk and Norfolk parks are estimated to cost roughly £50 million. Near Southampton, Eastleigh Borough Council has granted planning permission for a 6.3MW solar PV park at Chalcroft Farm, costing approximately £6.5 million and expected to consist of 25,632 panels. The park will cover over 16 hectares and produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,800 homes.
Solar Portal 19th Dec 2012 more >>
Farm Turbine
A CARMARTHENSHIRE livestock farmer has installed a wind turbine on his 100-acre farm to diversify income and cut costs. John Griffiths, who runs the farm with his wife Llinos, secured funding from HSBC’s Wales Agriculture team and said the turbine will make a significant contribution to the farm’s income.
South Wales Evening Post 19th Dec 2012 more >>
Solar Growth
A new report published by Rexel predicts that the UK could outperform other European solar hotspots by 2016. In partnership with IMS Research, the electrical distribution company has produced a solar heat map which compares installations to date with forecasts for 2016. The heat map predicts that the UK could install 8GW of solar capacity by 2016 – higher than the predicted market of both Spain and Greece. However, the map shows that the UK is still a long way behind European leaders Germany and Italy, with predicted markets of 55GW and 25GW respectively.
Solar Portal 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Edie 19th Dec 2012 more >>
Solar Support
The government has today announced it will reduce subsidies for large solar installations by less than it originally planned, arguing that its new support package will unlock a wave of investment in large onsite solar arrays. In its long-awaited response to a consultation published earlier this year on the level of Renewable Obligation support for solar installations with over 5MW of capacity, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) confirmed that from next April ground-mounted systems will receive 1.6 Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) per MWh, while a new band will mean building-mounted systems will received 1.7 ROCs/MWh.
Business Green 18th Dec 2012 more >>
DECC 18th Dec 2012 more >>
The UK government has reduced the support for solar PV under the Renewables Obligation (RO) – the support mechanism for large renewables projects from 2013-2017 - by 20%. Prior to the UK government’s consultation on solar support, all solar PV was eligible for 2 Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) per MWh. This has now been reduced to levels as low as 1.6 ROCs/MWh. However, the cuts are not quite as severe as previously feared – officials had previously threatened to cut PV rates to 1.5 ROCs/MWh.
Renewable Energy Focus 19th Dec 2012 more >>
Five Year Solar & Biomass Plan
The government set out a five-year plan on Tuesday to unlock the solar and biomass investment needed to achieve the country’s 2020 green energy targets. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) sought to give investors the certainty they need to build new solar and biomass power plants by deciding subsidy levels over the 2013-2017 period. Support levels for the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, while higher than initial proposals made by the government in September, will be cut by 20 percent from current levels starting in April 2013, when the new scheme takes effect. The government won praise from developers of biomass projects who welcomed its decision to relax its original plan to cap subsidies once dedicated capacity exceeded 400 megawatts (MW). The government expects the move to mobilise at least 600 million pounds in biomass projects - burning material like straw and sawdust to generate power - while one developer said it could unlock billions of pounds of new investment
Reuters 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Good Energy has welcomed confirmation by the Department of Energy and Climate Change of renewables obligation support rates for solar installations. Good Energy says this provides greater levels of incentive for the installation of solar projects in the UK than previously proposed.
Money AM 18th Dec 2012 more >>
The UK government has today announced revised subsidies for large solar installations that are not as low as previously feared. In the response to its consultation on the level of Renewable Obligation (RO) support for solar installations over 5 MW, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said a “significant majority (82%)” were opposed to the government’s proposals. Instead, the government now plans to establish two separate bands for solar photovoltaics under the RO, one for building-mounted installations and the other for ground-mounted arrays. Under the new proposals, building-mounted solar installations will receive 1.7 RO Certificates (ROCs) per MWh in 2013/14, declining to 1.6 ROCs/MWh in 2014/15, 1.5 ROCs/MWh in 2015/16 and 1.4 ROCs/MWh in 2016/17.
Energy Efficiency News 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Edie 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Solar Portal 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Utility Week 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Solar Futures
A solar installation will be the easiest way for householders and businesses to take back some control over their energy bills. With cost-effective storage solutions just around the corner, solar could be on the way to becoming one of the most essential household purchases by the end of the decade. Next year’s Solar Power UK Roadshow: Restarting the Market is your solution to prosper despite slashed subsidies, falling installation rates and being a scapegoat for escalating energy bills.
Solar Portal 18th Dec 2012 more >>
Eastleigh Solar Farm
Solarcentury is racing to complete a 6.3MW solar farm near Southampton, after receiving planning permission for the project from the local council. The company confirmed late last week that it has received consent from Eastleigh Borough Council to install 25,632 photovoltaic panels at Chalcroft Farm, West End.
Business Green 17th Dec 2012 more >>
Energy Efficiency News 17th Dec 2012 more >>
End of ‘Conservatory Tax’
Building industry outraged after ministers ditch plans to force property owners to fit energy efficient measures during renovations. Industry insiders accused politicians of ignoring the support for the plans and potential economic benefits and instead deciding new policies based on sensationalist tabloid newspaper stories.
Business Green 17th Dec 2012 more >>
G24 Saved
All 42 jobs threatened when a solar power company in Cardiff went into administration have been saved. G24 Innovations, which makes flexible solar panels capable of powering small devices such as laptops, has been sold with the new owners planning to resume production immediately.
BBC 17th Dec 2012 more >>
Norfolk Solar Farm
A £40m solar energy scheme on fields in Norfolk covering the equivalent of 124 football pitches has been approved.
BBC 17th Dec 2012 more >>
Small Farm Turbine
Welsh farmer Alwyn Roberts says his wind turbine has been positive for him, local jobs, and the environment. Even the ramblers like it. Situated in the southern end of Snowdonia National Park near the village of Tywyn, Mr Roberts’ 130ha organic farm is benefiting from a new 5kW, 12m-high turbine. Erected in July this year using local contractors, the turbine has already produced more than 6,500 kW/hours, saved 10 tonnes of carbon, and generated more than £2,400 from Feed-in Tariffs.
Farmers Weekly 17th Dec 2012 more >>