"There was a real buzz at Intersolar in Germany earlier this month with solutions being the hot topic," explained Robert Markus Feldmann, the MD for AZUR SOLAR in the UK, who has attended this top European solar show for the past six years in succession.
"As an industry, we have to focus on answering customer problems and delivering real solutions. Germany has turned away from nuclear which is positive but in the UK, the industry is currently too heavily focused on the impending Government changes to the Feed-in Tariff for larger installations. Solar as a solution works, and works well. What weve got to do as a global industry is work within existing frameworks and educate customers about the financial and environmental advantages. Energy costs are only going to increase only last week the first of the big six UK power providers announced rises that will add around £150 a year to everyones domestic bill.
"Solar is a long term investment with long term benefits but needs long term commitment. Yes, margins in the UK may be getting ever tighter, which will hopefully drive out the short term, fast?buck operators, but there is still a real and growing opportunity for professional providers, where best practice and customer satisfaction are key.
"On the innovation front, panels continue to increase in efficiency and the entry cost is becoming more attractive to customers. They are also becoming more informed about the benefits of solar and thats good news for reputable providers and installers. Again, as an industry, what we need to watch against is cheap, poor quality panels from the Far East, flooding into the market, damaging reputations and alienating future customers. It should be about delivering quality and efficiency, not a price war.
"Finally, storage set to be then next big theme in photovoltaics. A key enablers, it will open up new markets and new applications, where consumers can choose how and where they source THEIR own energy, making them more self sufficient."
AZURs INDEPENDA, which was launched at the show for the German / European Solar market, is a new independent and intelligent electricity system that produces, stores and distributes solar electricity for individual customer use. During the day solar panels generate power that can be used directly, with any surplus used to charge the storage system. Once charged, any additional surplus electricity produced by the efficient solar panels is fed into the national grid. Then in the evening, power can be drawn from the storage system and should this become depleted, further power can be drawn from the grid, making INDEPENDA truly flexible and helps consumers save money.
"Being independent from electricity suppliers, producing and using their own electricity helps consumers be environmentally friendly, saves CO2, reduces the load on the power grid plus protects them against inevitable rising energy costs," concluded Robert Markus Feldmann.
