Opinions

There are two UK industries that, whilst once booming, are now struggling to cope with an artificially unlevel playing field. UK steel and UK solar find themselves in similar plights, but the government reaction and public perception of their problems couldn’t be further apart.

Paul McCarren, energy director at contractor Forrest, discusses why floating solar is a light at the end of the tunnel for the industry.

After years of impressive cost reduction and technological advances, extinguishing the scepticism of many more doubters than you might sometimes believe, Germany’s concept of ‘Energiewende’ (‘energy transition’) now faces its hardest task in scaling up – making it a global concept. Several of the speakers at last week’s Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue conference talked about the successes of the Energiewende and what the energy transition could teach the rest of the planet.

This week’s Budget announcement, in typical government fashion, posed just as many questions as it did answers. Liam Stoker runs through what the solar industry remains in the dark over.

The eyes of the UK renewables sector – and most others – will be turning to the chancellor this afternoon for his latest Budget speech. Some key decisions are expected to be announced, with the solar sector hoping for some clarity over the future of VAT rates.

It’s not often that a representative from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) shows much in the way of emotion on a subject. Last week saw that change when Andrea Leadsom lashed out against opponents of the early closure of the Renewables Obligation.

Energy secretary Amber Rudd proposed to end solar thermal subsidies yesterday as part of a wide-ranging overhaul of the RHI. Liam Stoker discusses how the government now only appears willing to support technologies that sit ‘just right’, regardless of how inconsistent that approach appears.

Finlay Colville, head of market intelligence at Solar Media, discusses why 2016 is Scotland’s year for solar PV.

From Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar-winning speech to the chief of the UK’s top energy lobbying group, a cleaner, greener message is now being told. But is it breaking through the smog?

As the solar industry continues to settle into the post-FiT announcement market, Jodi Huggett from 4eco explains why she thinks 2016 will be the year of self-consumption.