Blogs

The potential solar power has in the UK is becoming more clear as the year progresses. Here at the Solar Power Portal, we have been reporting on all things solar in this country, from FREE installation offers to large-scale power plant plans, but how do you know who you can really trust in this new industry?

This article was co-written by Dr. Kevin Hard, Managing Director of EvoEnergy and Tom Craig, Solar PV Specialist, also at EvoEnergy. EvoEnergy prides itself on being in tune with the market and informing our customers of any market changes and opportunities that we see or think might happen.  We believe and trust the technology; on top of this the new Feed-in Tariff (FIT) incentive has made investing in Solar PV a sound financial investment.    The recent press coverage of ‘solar for free’ has driven interest in the concept through the roof, and subsequently this has led to floods of enquiries to us.  The idea of free solar may sound great, but is this the right way to go?  Should you leave your own money in the bank and get solar for free, or should you stump up yourself with the aim of keeping the FIT money? Or should you finance your purchase with money from the bank?

As expected, another company has jumped on board the free solar bandwagon. Southern-based ISIS Solar has announced its plans for the installation of an initial 18,000 solar systems, beginning in the south of the UK, and working upwards as the year progresses.

A £15 million donation should never be sneezed at, especially when it relates to renewable energy, however many may find the news that British Gas has started a £15 million project to supply 1,100 schools with free solar systems worth between £20,000 and £40,000 pounds each, curious.

This blog is written by Martin Cotterell, the Managing Director of Sundog Energy. The title of this blog (Doing So(lar Business in the UK) is both Sundog Energy’s reason for existence and also the title of a forthcoming seminar in Munich (on the 8th June, immediately prior to the annual InterSolar trade show).

Now that April 1st has come and gone, all eyes are firmly focused on the UK renewable energy market. With a strong feed-in tariff provided generously by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which pays 41.3p/kWh of solar photovoltaic energy generated, everyone is eager to see whether the amount of solar installations in the country is really going to be as high as hoped.

This is both Sundog Energy’s reason for existence and also the title of a forthcoming one day seminar in Munich (on the 8th June, immediately prior to the annual InterSolar trade show).

The UK government announced its plans to concentrate on renewable energy and the policies fit for this move in July this year, what follows this announcement, we are all eager to find out. There were many lengthy documents outlining separate aspects of the plans, yet all seem to be pointing towards one thing: the fact that nothing is yet set in stone….