Moving the UK solar market past the ‘boom and bust’ stage

International solar visionaries discussing future of UK solar market

LONDON, 6 MAY 2013 – The UK solar PV market is making headlines again as its 500 MW of installed capacity accounted for 10% of the global installations in the first quarter of 2013. As a result, the UK market passed the 2 GigaWatt mark of cumulative installed solar capacity. 2012 hasn't been a bad year either. Government statistics confirm 779 MW of installed PV capacity in 2012. According to Solarbuzz, 11.3% of the UK’s electricity last year was generated from renewable energy sources.

The UK market is experiencing a new ‘bloom’ period; however, based on past trends, this could just as well be considered a new ‘boom’ period.

Roughly, the development of the British market can be divided into four phases. First, there was a period of slow growth before the first Feed-in Tariff (FiT). Then there was the first boom in 2011, caused by the FiT. The third period followed the FiT cuts and was characterized by adjustment and a search for new financing models. In 2012, boosted by the Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) scheme, the ground-mounted segment saw a rise in popularity, though most installations that year were still rooftop systems. The new ground-mounted 'boom' really came into its own in the first quarter of 2013, leading to the spectacular numbers that put the UK back on the map. But now that 31st March has come and gone and support under the ROC scheme has been reduced, the market could well come to another standstill.

It seems that the UK market is still characterized by a ‘boom and bust’ trend. Many experts and market players are calling for updated FiT policies to stimulate new market growth. The real question should be: How can the UK market really move past the ‘boom and bust’ stage?

To try to find an answer to this question, Solarplaza, in cooperation with the BPVA, is bringing together their best lineup of solar experts ever for the fourth edition of ‘The Solar Future: UK’ conference. This high-level strategy conference will feature solar visionaries such as Jeremy Leggett (Founder & Chairman, Solarcentury) Anton Milner (Managing Director, ib Vogt & Founder, Q-Cells), Jigar Shah (Founder, SunEdison & former CEO, Carbon War Room), Thierry Lepercq (Chairman, Solairedirect), Nick Boyle (CEO, Lightsource Renewable Energy) and Reza Shaybani (Chairman, BPVA). These and many other international veterans will share their visions about a future solar UK market beyond any government support – the central message being that the future of solar PV goes beyond any government support.

Some of the major themes that will be covered include topics such as the global solar PV industry developments impacting the UK market, smart grids, grid integration, smart energy management and the realistic potential of energy storage. Furthermore, the expert speakers will identify the most attractive elements per market segment and highlight the best – and sometimes most creative – ways of financing projects without being reliant on government subsidies. Examples of subsidy-free yet successful markets such as the Netherlands will be highlighted and explained.

The Solar Future: UK ’13, will take place on 16th July 2011 in London, and will bring together more than 150 industry experts from the financial and business sector, and government and regulatory authorities.

For more information and to register, please visit: www.thesolarfuture.co.uk

Four new solar power plants completed in the United Kingdom (30MW)

Berlin, 15th April 2013: ib vogt GmbH has completed about 30 MWp of new solar power installations in the UK in the first quarter of 2013. The addition of these projects four new projects takes ib vogt’s UK capacity to over 55 MWp.

 Ib vogt GmbH completed four new solar power plants projects in the UK, with a total rated output of about 30 MWp. The sites, all completed in March, are as follows:

	Pyworthy in Devon; approximately 5 MWp
	Manston Farm in Kent; approximately 10 MWp
	West Farm in Pembrokeshire; approximately 8 MWp
	Langunnett in Cornwall; over 6 MWp

This will enable over 8,100 households to be supplied with electricity, with carbon dioxide savings of around 14,500 tonnes a year.

The affiliate company of vogt solar ltd, which is based in United Kingdom, played a decisive role in the development of these projects. It will continue to support the solar power plants through ongoing operation and maintenance servicing contracts.

Additional UK projects with a total rated output of over 100 MWp are being developed for remainder of 2013.

Source

Four new solar power plants completed in the United Kingdom (30MW)

Berlin, 15th April 2013: ib vogt GmbH has completed about 30 MWp of new solar power installations in the UK in the first quarter of 2013. The addition of these projects four new projects takes ib vogt’s UK capacity to over 55 MWp.

Berlin, 15/4/2013: ib vogt GmbH completed four new solar power plants projects in the UK, with a total rated output of about 30 MWp. The sites, all completed in March, are as follows:

	Pyworthy in Devon; approximately 5 MWp
	Manston Farm in Kent; approximately 10 MWp
	West Farm in Pembrokeshire; approximately 8 MWp
	Langunnett in Cornwall; over 6 MWp

This will enable over 8,100 households to be supplied with electricity, with carbon dioxide savings of around 14,500 tonnes a year.

The affiliate company of vogt solar ltd, which is based in United Kingdom, played a decisive role in the development of these projects. It will continue to support the solar power plants through ongoing operation and maintenance servicing contracts.

Additional UK projects with a total rated output of over 100 MWp are being developed for remainder of 2013.

Source

Abundant investment opportunities for solar projects

No shortage of funding as solar PV conference to highlight increasing opportunities for installers and investors

London, UK, 18 June 2012 – According to finance experts at this year’s Solar Future UK conference (London – 26 June, www.thesolarfuture.co.uk), there are more options available for funding solar PV projects than ever before. Many installers focusing on feed-in tariffs alone may be missing out on other project opportunities to sustain their businesses.

One funding alternative is through Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) financing, as solar industry expert, Ray Noble, explains, “Projects over 5MW are ineligible for FiTs payments but will receive incentive payments under the Renewable Obligation – and there’s no capacity limit for systems funded under ROCs. Some of the bigger players have pipelines of PV projects in place using ROC funding, but we need to do everything we can to raise awareness of ROCs in the solar industry.”

Bruce Davis, managing director of Abundance Generation, has researched the potential for crowd funding for renewable energy projects:
“Retail finance and crowd funding have previously been seen as niche or small scale sources of funding for solar and other renewable technologies, but our research suggests that there is untapped latent demand for long-term investment products whose return is based on producing sustainable, renewable energy amongst mainstream customers. As more platforms come to market we will see a big shift in the ownership and investment profile of renewable energy away from the relatively rich few and towards the many – something which will benefit the industry in the long term as it seeks to demonstrate the benefits of green growth to the mainstream.”
Giovanni Terranova, founding partner of Bluefield Partners LLP, a specialist asset manager for solar PV infrastructure, sees increasing opportunities in the UK market for installers and investors:
“The UK solar industry has reached an important and exciting stage in its development and has the opportunity, for the first time, to be the cornerstone of the government’s onshore renewable policy.
 
Due to significant cost reductions in the price of modules the solar industry in the UK is now a cost-effective solution in comparison to other renewable technologies. Solar has the potential, using lower subsidies, to see to a significant increase in installed capacity over the coming years and to be a major part of the government’s 2020 renewable electricity target. The 22GW target set and confirmed by the Government has the potential to transform the UK market in one of the most interesting markets in Europe over the next few years.

For Bluefield, a specialist investor into large scale ground based or commercial rooftop installations, we see increasing opportunities in the UK market for installers and investors.”

The conference will feature a total of five speakers who will discuss different approaches to project finance for solar PV:
•    Giovanni Terranova (Bluefield Partners LLP) will discuss the role of investment funds
•    Bruce Davis (Abundance Generation) will talk about crowd funding for renewable energy projects
•    Anton Milner (Q-cells founder) will present the options for large PV power plant financing
•    Ray Noble (Solar BIPV), will explain the opportunities available using ROCs and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
•    James Donaldson (Investec Bank), will talk about the barriers to solar PV financing

The Solar Future conference, supported by the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA), will feature expert speakers who will present their views and predictions on the future of the UK’s solar PV market. Delegate places can be booked at the conference, which takes place on 26th June, by visiting www.thesolarfuture.co.uk/registration/

UK needs ‘Solar Spring’

London, UK, 10th June 2012 – The UK solar industry is at a crossroads in its development, according to Edwin Koot, chief executive of Solarplaza, the independent global knowledge platform for the solar PV industry. Mr Koot believes that it’s now up to the industry players, and not the government, to shape the UK market for solar PV.
“The UK solar industry needs to reflect on what happened over the past 18 months. It can either throw in the towel or realise that there is a solar future – even without feed-in tariffs – and fight for its future.
Understandably, there’s a lot of resentment in the industry about how the coalition government has handled changes to the feed-in tariffs. For some installers, it’s been too much to bear and after the 2011 ‘solar feeding frenzy’, the drastic cuts have led to job cuts and worse still, businesses going bust.

Today, most installers agree that in pure financial terms solar is still a good bet for domestic projects. System prices have fallen in line with the tariffs, and the return on investment is similar to what it was when the tariffs were at their high point. A return of 8-10% is impossible to match with any other guaranteed investment. Yet orders have dropped off a cliff. Why? For the simple reason that the public has lost confidence and is confused. There has been so much negative media coverage about the feed-in tariffs that installer’s phones have stopped ringing. And unfortunately the solar industry has to share the blame for that.

The Netherlands has a thriving solar market today, yet the government stopped all subsidies earlier this year. The consensus is that stability with no tariffs is preferable to the confusion of ‘stop-go’ subsidies. There are of course other factors at play, not least that green initiatives have captured the Dutch public’s imagination.
So what can we do in the UK? The industry needs to work together, to cooperate more, to ‘grow the pie’ before they fight over it. It needs a concerted effort to change public opinion… a ‘Solar Spring’, if you like. I believe there is still an appetite among UK citizens to reduce the stranglehold of the ‘Big 6’ energy companies. People want solutions to rising energy prices and fuel poverty. People believe in the seriousness of climate change, despite what Daily Mail journalists write. Solar power is not the only solution to these problems, but it’s a start.

We need to re-build confidence in the long-term future of the market, and share that with the public. We need innovative thinking, new business models, hard work and investment in promoting all of the good things about solar – not just the cash returns. To achieve that, first we need to bring the industry together.”

Edwin Koot will be chairing The Solar Future conference in London on 26th June. Attendees can take advantage of a 2-for-1 booking offer at www.thesolarfuture.co.uk/registration/
“The Solar Future, UK: III”, supported by the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA), will feature expert speakers who will present their views and predictions on the future of the UK’s solar PV market.