UK solar market awaits major boost

Hermann Scheer and Jeremy Leggett speak at UK solar energy conference

LONDON/ROTTERDAM – The solar industry and market in the UK is about to explode and increase over 100 percent for many years following the introduction of government incentive on solar energy in April. ,,We’ve seen market boost and successful kick-starting in other countries like Italy, Belgium and Germany. Within three years the UK could be one of the major solar energy markets in Europe,’’ CEO Edwin Koot of the leading global PV industry portal www.solarplaza.com predicts.

On the UK PV Conference on solar energy, to be held on June 22^nd in London, international solar experts Hermann Scheer and Jeremy Leggett will focus on possibilities and developments in this field in their keynote speeches. The conference will bring together more than 150 industry experts from the business sector, the government and regulatory authorities

De-carbonizing our economy and changing the way we use and produce energy is the name of the game in the new decade. The government incentives for solar energy in the UK come in the form of guaranteed sales prices for electricity produced from solar energy. These incentives, also called feed-in tariffs, have been successful in Germany, the first country which introduced them, and later on in Spain, France and Italy, thus becoming leading solar markets in the world. ,,A growing solar industry can also lead to and enormous increase of jobs,” Koot states.

Hermann Scheer is considered to be the brains behind the first and most successful feed-in tariff support scheme, and therefore one of the world's leading experts. He is a long-standing prominent figure in the world of renewable energy and received the Alternative Nobel Prize in Stockholm for his worldwide commitment to renewable energy in 1999. He has been a member of the German parliament for nearly three decades and is also president of Eurosolar and general chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE).

Jeremy Leggett is a former director of Greenpeace and adviser to the UK government on renewable energies. Leggett, who started his career as a researcher in the oil industry, has set up the London-based solar energy company Solarcentury. Since 1999, Leggett and Solarcentury have initiated numerous solar energy projects around the country and have helped to change public opinion on solar energy in the UK and beyond. Leggett, like Scheer, has authored numerous books on the subject of solar energy.

,,Hermann Scheer and Jeremy Leggett are two of the most internationally recognized experts on solar energy. They understand the conditions required for this exciting industry to grow in the UK. We are delighted to have them both at our conference,” says Koot. The conference is scheduled for 22 June 2010 at Central Hall Westminster.

Solarplaza is the provider of the leading global PV industry portal www.solarplaza.com and has previously organized international PV trade missions and PV expert conferences in Spain, Germany, California, China, Germany, Italy, Greece, India and Taiwan.



Grid access for solar energy projects needs improvement

UK government consulting with industry stakeholders on grid access for renewable energy

Rotterdam and London – March 15, 2010

After announcing details on the incentives for solar energy projects in early February, the UK government is now working with stakeholders on details of grid access for renewable energy projects. Large amounts of solar and other renewable types of generation need to be able to connect to electricity networks if the UK is to meet its carbon reduction targets while ensuring security of supply.

Experience from other countries around Europe has shown that uncertainty around grid access arrangements may seriously delay or even stop completely investments in renewable energy sector. The fact that a second consultation with members of the industry and the wider public is underway seems to indicate that the UK Government has recognized the significance of the subject.

Earlier this month, the Department of Energy and Climate Change published plans to change the way new electricity generation is connected to the UK’s power grid. These plans, called Connect and Manage, aim to clear the way for renewable energy projects such as wind and solar farms to be connected to the grid in time to meet the 2020 renewable energy targets.

In a statement, Energy and Climate Change Minister David Kidney said: “Access to the electricity grid has been one of the key barriers to the generation of renewable energy in this country. There are currently around 78 gigawatts of prospective new generation capacity – some 160 projects – that are waiting to be connected to the grid, including over 19 gigawatts from renewable sources. The new rules will help these projects get hooked up to the grid as soon as they are ready – helping in the shift to low carbon, secure energy supplies.”

Connect and Manage has been drafted to enable new generators to connect to the electricity grid and start generating as soon as the local connection has been built. The accompanying consultation “Improving Grid Access – Technical consultation on the model for improving grid access” has been underway since March 3, 2010 and will close on March 31, 2010.
The results and real-life experience of grid connection for renewable energy systems will be discussed among members of the industry at a conference scheduled for later this year: the UK PV Conference. The event aims to address all issues relevant to the newly emerging solar energy market in the UK, a major one of which is grid connection for system operators.

The UK PV Conference will be held at Central Hall Westminster on June 22, 2010. It will bring together more than 150 industry experts from the business sector, the government, and regulatory authorities. The event is being organized by Solarplaza.