Solar Trade Association

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has proposed a replacement for the flat rate FIT payment regime that is hard to argue with, as it is linked to the actual amount of electricity exported back into the grid.

The government regulator for gas and electricity markets in the United Kingdom has released updated guidance clearing up the confusion surrounding the installation of storage at households exporting solar to the grid. More still needs to be done though, argues the Solar Trade Association.

Power market regulator favors a flat rate fee for electricity consumers to fund the cost of making the U.K. grid fit for the energy transition. Solar lobbyists say that will unfairly penalize households and businesses who have invested in on-site generation.

Labour this morning unveiled plans for an energy system free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but it is unclear what proportion of the party’s “clean energy” mix would be met by nuclear.

Business minister Greg Clark admitted in parliament yesterday the Conservative government is considering plowing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money into the proposed Wylfa Newydd nuclear project in north Wales.

Despite a remarkable cumulative PV capacity of over 12.8 GW, newly registered PV systems in the first four months of this year amounted to a disappointing 72 MW. The U.K. Solar Trade Association does not expect the current poor growth trend to improve unless the government provides more regulatory certainty.

As the second anniversary of Britain’s vote to leave the EU approaches, the nature of the UK’s future energy relationship with the bloc is still very much unclear

An energy storage event organised by the UK’s Solar Trade Association this week in London showcased the potential for energy storage development in the country. However, what the solar industry is currently targeting most eagerly is co-locating photovoltaics with batteries.

An independent review into the cost of energy across the UK supply was published earlier this week. The review has seen a mixed response from the renewables segment, and has been criticized by industry bodies for failing to recognize the opportunities presented by a decentralized energy system focused on renewables.

The UK trade body today launched its ‘Great British Solar Manifesto’, in a pre-election appeal to MPs outlining the contribution solar can make to the country over the next Parliament, if the right policy framework is put in place to fairly support market developments.