Guest Blog

The fragmented nature of the solar industry is making it easier for the government to divide and conquer the sector. Alex Fornal argues that giving solar one unified voice could pay dividends

The renewables industry has responded positively to a sustained period of policy stability but recent policy changes could jeopardise the solar sector’s ability to create jobs, argues David Hunt.

Rexel’s Jerry Hamilton says that a smooth transition will prove key if the UK is to achieve subsidy-free solar

The renewables industry is in turbulent times. The surprise removal of the Climate Change Levy Exemption status, the closure of the Renewables Obligation to onshore wind, the imminent review of the feed-in tariff, the overspending of the Levy Control Framework and its implications for the second round of of Contacts for Difference (CfDs) are just a few current issues. It seems politics rather than pragmatism is calling the tune on renewables policy.

For this year’s Solar Independence Day, Alban Thurston embarked on a 250-mile solar odyssey which took him to two solar farms and an all-electric racing airplane.

Jerry Hamilton explains why a diverse combination of fuel sources will be the recipe for closing the energy gap

The UK’s ground-mount solar industry has been providing excellent business opportunities for site planners and planning consultants, in the past few years. However, changes by the government to renewable obligations (RO) subsidies available for both the solar industry and the onshore wind industry are now creating a greater number of individual site opportunities across a much wider range of planning firms.

The government’s recent attack on onshore wind farms has been a long time coming, the Conservative manifesto having stated that in the event of an election win the party would end “new” public subsidy for them and let local people have the final say on wind farm applications.

From Aberystwyth to Aberdeen, from Norfolk to Northumberland, from Truro to Trimdon Station: are large-scale solar farms in the UK poised for northerly expansion in 2015?

With energy rises at an all-time high and the fuel poverty issue escalating, consumers are becoming increasingly savvier to the benefits of investing in sustainable products – with solar power being central to this. Jerry Hamilton considers how the results of a recent market survey indicate consumer confidence in the solar technology and the birth of the UK’s solar revolution.