With the rapid growth of Solar PV installations in the UK, grid capacity in some areas is coming under scrutiny. Some of the out-dated and older electricity networks are beginning to struggle with the power flow back to the grid from the UK’s many Solar PV plants. District Network Operators (DNOs) are now imposing export limitations on new Solar PV installations, which prevent potential generators from connecting the size of system they want up to the electricity network. Read the rest of this entry »

This week Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, announced that the permitted development rights for Solar PV in the UK would be increased from 50kW to 1 Megawatt, a 2000%

another business maximises roof space through commercial solar

increase.

This a huge boost for Commercial Solar rooftop installations. These changes to the development rights remove another barrier that surrounded installations of less than 1MW. In the past 18 months this sector has proven to be one of the fastest growing and most effective  with many businesses across the UK making the most of previously unused space with Solar PV.

The advantages of the governments feed in tariff scheme enable these businesses to receive regular payments for producing energy through their commercial solar PV systems. In addition to these payments, the business can significantly reduce their energy bills as they are producing a portion of their own green electricity on site.

To see how Commercial Solar PV could be the best future investment for your business click here and contact us today.

When will solar power in the UK overtake its current subsides?

Solar PV in the UK is fast outgrowing subsidies

It’s widely acknowledged that Solar PV  in the UK has taken off, in fact in the past year solar PV installs across

the country have doubled.

The subsidies were put in place to improve investments into Solar PV and in turn further research in order for power generated from Solar PV to reach grid parity.

It’s a fact that the goal is for Solar PV in the UK to become subsidy free, the main question is when? Read the rest of this entry »

Minister for climate change, Greg Barker, has announced plans to boost the growing uptake in commercial solar installations in the UK. Speaking to representatives at the British Photovoltaic Association’s Commercial and Domestic Rooftop Solar recently in the capital, Mr Barker echoed his long repeated statements on the importance of Solar Power to the UK and the governments desire to continually increase uptake of commercial solar power for UK roofspace. Read the rest of this entry »

New data released by the research firm IHS, details that up to 69% of the planned solar installs across 2014 and 2015 throughout Europe are planned to take place in the UK. Approximately 7 gigawatts of solar pv are planned to be installed across Europe of the coming 18 months. With that factored the UK can expect at least 4.8GW of solar photo voltaic power installed over the next 18 months. Read the rest of this entry »

Communities across the country have been given a helping hand in realizing their dream of utilizing Solar power with Carmichael Brown Renewable Energy through the RCEF (Rural Community Energy Fund).

The Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) helps rural communities access the money needed to carry out feasibility studies into renewable energy projects, and fund the costs associated with applying for planning permission.  With the necessary funding available projects will then be able to attract private finance to pay for renewable energy kit and get projects up and running. Funding can be used to support rural projects across the renewable and low carbon energy spectrum including wind, solar, biomass, Read the rest of this entry »

Energy conscious communities across the nation will be able to receive Feed-in Tariff (FITs) payments for the clean green energy generated by larger community energy projects, under new plans set out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Projects such as Solar PV on school roofs or panels on libraries, community owned wind turbines and hydro power from local streams could all benefit under the proposed new rules.

The FITs scheme pays householders, businesses and communities for the electricity they generate through a range of renewable energy technologies including Solar PV, wind, hydro projects and anaerobic digestion. There is also payment for excess power exported back to the grid.

Read the rest of this entry »

Energy-intensive companies will see energy bills soar by as much as £5 million a year due to carbon taxes and support for nuclear and renewable energy, according to a study by DECC.  Medium-sized companies face an average rise of around 22%.

The UK government is attempting to drive up renewables and nuclear power in order to meet the U.K.’s targets to cut greenhouse gases  by at the very least 34% by 2020 from the levels it reached in the 1990’s.The government is also trying to gain a share of the 3.3 trillion-pound global market for clean energy, not a simple task but one that is achievable through work and possible incentives and will help to curb emissions and the inevitable energy price increases. Read the rest of this entry »

Eight in ten people surveyed as part of a report published by the government support the UK using renewable energy scheme to generate electricity, fuel and heat and save money on their energy bills.

2,107 people were polled in December and January and just four per cent were opposed to using renewable energy.  This number has remained relatively consistent across the previous three surveys conducted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Solar energy was found to have the highest levels of support, with 82% favoring this type of technology, followed by offshore wind with an approval rating of 72% and wave and tidal arrays with a 71% rating. Read the rest of this entry »

MCS have announced recently that the current Feed in Tariff (FIT) rates for all non PV technology types are to remain at the same level until 31st March 2014.

It has also now been confirmed that the 15.44p / kWh rate, for eligible PV installations with a total installed capacity of 4kW or under, will apply to installations with an eligibility date on or after 1st November 2012 and before 1st July 2013.

These announcements follows Ofgem’s publication of the latest tariff tables and looks set to bring a very welcome stability to the UK renewables market this year. Read the rest of this entry »