While German records for solar production, as a share of total electricity, are more-or-less commonplace in recent times, the UK is joining the club. Over last weekend, the UK solar trade body the STA predicts that 3.9% of the UKs electricity demand was met by solar.
Exact figures for solars contribution to the UKs electricity mix is difficult to ascertain as residential rooftop production figures are not collected, but nonetheless the STA figures demonstrate the rapid growth occurring in Britains solar sector.
STA figures show that the UK currently has an installed PV capacity of 4.5 GW. With clear skies experienced over much of the country during the summer solstice, the solar trade body said that the figures and weather couldnt have come at a better time.
Midsummers day epitomized by Stonehenge and immortalized by Shakespeare is a reminder of how Britain has been celebrating the sun for over 4000 years, said the STAs head of external affairs Leonie Greene. In the 21st Century clean solar power can revolutionize how we power our homes and businesses.
The UKs Department of Energy and Climate (DECC) change tracks public support for renewable energy. Its figures show that even with the solar industrys rapid growth in the UK, it remains the countrys most popular energy source. Figures from DECCs Opinion Tracker show that solar enjoys a public approval rating of 85%.
Political headwinds
While this impressive result is bound to turn heads, there is considerable uncertainty facing the UK solar industry in the mid-term. The STA said that the summer solstice and the solar production record comes when the industry, is fighting for equal treatment from the government, which is uniquely disadvantaging solar power.
On July 7, the government is widely expected to announce a determination as to whether large-scale solar will continue to receive subsidies under the current ROC scheme. Despite this, UK energy minister Greg Barker is still making positive sounds about the contribution solar can make in the country.
There is massive potential to turn our large buildings into power stations and we must seize the opportunity this offers to boost our economy as part of our long term economic plan, said Barker.
Despite this rhetoric and the weekends figures from the STA, some in the UK remains deeply skeptical of the contribution that solar can make in Britains transition to a low-carbon economy. Ahead of the summer solstice weekend, prominent UK environmentalist, author and columnist George Monbiot wrote in the Guardian that while solar continues to be the only energy source that is viewed in an overwhelmingly positive light by the British public, it is not what is required to meet the countrys energy transition challenge.
Though the costs will keep falling, solar power is unlikely to make a large contribution to electricity supply in the UK, unless a radically different technology becomes viable., wrote Monbiot. It has some potential for mitigating carbon emissions in the summer, especially with the use of smart grids, but it seems to me that for a long time to come there are likely to be cheaper and simpler means of achieving the same aim. I would like to be proved wrong on this, but I don't think it will happen.
Popular content
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Share
Jonathan Gifford
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.