UK solar

Independent Advisor Solar says there were 189,826 MCS-certified solar installations in the United Kingdom last year, up 37.5% year on year. The researchers have also identified the 10 regions with the most solar panels installations to date.

RWE has commenced construction of 330 MW of solar capacity across seven sites in the United Kingdom. Two of the sites will include co-located battery storage (BESS), while the other five projects will be designed for future storage integration.

With United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appearing to have decided green policy, or rather, anti-green policy should be used to rally voters to his party’s bid for re-election this year – and with the opposition Labour party vacillating over a promise to spend £28 billion ($35 billion) per year on green investment – Adam Swarbrick, of RWE Renewables UK, gives an update on the prospects for United Kingdom solar.

Chris Sparkes, lead technician at UK solar installer Solar Fast tells pv magazine simply throwing money at the PV industry will not suffice.

The United Kingdom hit 14.3 GW of cumulative solar capacity by the end of last year, according to provisional government data. New solar capacity grew by 4% year on year, with the rooftop PV market accounting for most of the new installations.

Last year’s figures marked the first time the market saw sustained, subsidy-free growth across residential, commercial and utility scale projects, according to trade body Solar Energy UK.

The news comes on the day a private equity investor in the English North East announced plans to jointly develop a 1.4 GWp solar portfolio with Canadian Solar.

Focusing on the big picture is always challenging, particularly in light of the current all-consuming coronavirus pandemic. However, there are some key issues related to the U.K. solar sector, which will feature significantly on the domestic agenda in the months ahead.

The London-based developer revealed blockbusting annual figures which show it is debt free, has almost £20 million in the bank, raked in more than half that figure in net profits in 2018-19 and expects twice as much in a year’s time.

Renewable energy industry bodies are hailing the U.K. Energy Minister’s comments today that power should not be provided to the country’s electricity grid for free. She was referring to the ongoing debate over whether or not to end solar export tariffs.