Opinions

“Feed-in tariff cuts ‘will kill solar industry stone dead’ ” shouted the headline in the Guardian way back in October when the Government announced its solar subsidies strategy. Fast forward nine months and the solar energy market, although battered and bruised, still offers one of the most viable investments around today.

The latter months of 2011 and first half of 2012 saw global investment in renewable energy reach new, unprecedented heights. Solar power has now surpassed wind power as the most popular renewable technology for investment and here in the UK our solar market emerged onto the international photovoltaic (PV) scene thanks to the tried and tested method of feed-in tariff (FiT) reduction.

One of the most popular events occurring on the fringe of the Intersolar PV show in Munich last week was a half-day session on the future prospects for PV deployment within the UK,organized by Solar Media, Ltd. under the banner of Doing Solar Business in the UK.

This morning at 9am the doors opened for the first day of the Intersolar EU 2012 exhibition and, despite the rain, the visitors flocked in their thousands.

Ok so we really are nearly finished! The work depends on a lot of input from others – and while Griff and I can do so much, the peaks and troughs of the Solar PV market over the last few months has really impacted on getting all the various bits of information and feedback back to us. It’s been a very frustrating time for all concerned – but the end is in sight.

The call for solar panels has significantly reduced in the UK since Government announced feed-in tariff cuts. That’s a fact. While at one time installers’ phones were ringing off the hook while they worked seven-day weeks, now, just a few months later many are struggling to fill their weeks. Industry has come up with several reasons for this dip in demand, yet the most frequent culprit appears to be negative press.

All investors are looking for high returns and minimal risk. Solar PV in the UK can be considered as such a good investment in the UK; indeed, its characteristics are compelling for investors and consumers alike. With guaranteed index-linked, tax free feed-in tariff payments for at least 20 years, onsite renewable energy generation, lower energy bills and reduced carbon emissions one would expect thousands of people to be waiting in the queue for a system and all installers to be booked out. But the opposite is the case. There is little demand in the whole market. All installers are lowering their prices hoping to attract customers, but the demand is almost not picking up. This blog post examines why this is the case.

I attended the launch at the Local Government Association (LGA) on May 17 for the new guidance by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) for local authorities. It is titled How Local Authorities Can Reduce Emissions and Manage Climate Risk and was published the same day.

Since yesterday’s feed-in tariff bomb was dropped in the House of Commons by the now-infamous Minister of State Greg Barker, there has been a lot of squabbling in the UK solar industry. A large majority were pleased with the results of the consultation, while others continued to berate Government with their now worn torrent of abuse.

It’s easy to get swept up in the hysteria surrounding the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s handling of solar PV feed-in tariff rates. What seemed like a drastic cut was rushed through undoubtedly too quick and, as a result, industry was left reeling. However, we must remember that industry also managed to mobilise in spectacular fashion to install an incredible 380MW in the six-weeks running up to December 12.