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.


Hermann Scheer and Jeremy Leggett speak at UK solar energy conference

Rotterdam and London – 3 March 2010 - De-carbonizing our economy and changing the way we use and produce energy is the name of the game in the new decade. The details of the UK government's incentives were announced in early February, so the UK solar energy industry and market are finally set to grow from April onwards. At a conference to be held in London later this year, two of the major proponents of political change in this field, Hermann Scheer and Jeremy Leggett, will be making keynote speeches.

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 highly successful in kick-starting solar energy markets around the world. The first country to introduce feed-in tariffs as a strong market driver for renewable energy was Germany.

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

The second keynote speech will come from Jeremy Leggett, 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, went on to 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 Edwin Koot, CEO of SolarPlaza, and organizer of The UK PV Conference. The conference is scheduled for 22 June 2010 at Central Hall Westminster, and will bring together more than 150 industry experts from the business sector, the government and regulatory authorities.

Solar Gets U.K. Aid; Don't Expect Boom

LONDON (TheStreet) -- The U.K. is going to offer solar feed-in tariffs, it announced today, in a welcome development for the solar industry at a time when the biggest European backers are reducing solar incentives.

The U.K. feed-in tariff scheme, however, has a big focus on the small -- that is, solar projects of 5 megawatts or less. Italy's proposal to reduce its solar-feed-in tariffs also has a focus on stimulating job growth at the smaller solar project end of the market. Italian solar officials have said that the Italian government is trying to find a compromise between solar support and job growth.

Read the full 3-page article at: The Street.com

United Kingdom joins other major European countries by offering solar incentive scheme

Industry experts to speak at UK PV Conference in London

Rotterdam/London – 28 January 2010

Having delayed for years, the UK government is finally set to implement a financial incentive scheme for solar energy. Under the proposal, which is due to become law in the first quarter of 2010, electricity produced from solar energy will receive a guaranteed price per unit. This guaranteed price, called a feed-in tariff, aims to remove the uncertainty around price that has hampered growth in the industry for many years. By taking this step, Britain is finally following the example of other major European economies like Germany, France and Italy.

At a solar energy conference in London later this year, UK and international experts will talk about the prospects of the solar PV industry in the UK. The conference, scheduled for 22 June 2010, will act as a platform, with networking opportunities for UK and international business executives. Major stakeholders, from regulators to industry experts and financiers, will be discussing their expectations.

While other European solar energy markets have been thriving in the last five years, the UK market for solar electricity (also known as photovoltaics, or simply PV) has remained small and is still in its infancy. But all this is about to change.

The new feed-in tariffs are scheduled to come into effect by 1 April 2010. The photovoltaic industry expects growth to kick in quickly after that date. More than 50 solar companies around the UK are eagerly waiting for the law to be finally passed in the House of Commons in April 2010. “Other countries in Europe have shown how quickly clear framework conditions can translate into growth. We are now ready for growth in the UK as well, and hope that other stakeholders like the financial institutions will also see the opportunity,” says Joachim Gerhard, a London-based solar energy consultant.

“The UK market for solar PV has been lagging behind in terms of growth and size,” says Edwin Koot, CEO of SolarPlaza and organizer of the UK PV conference. “Now, with the new commitment from the government, the UK solar industry will finally get the chance to catch up with its European competitors. This will create new jobs in the UK and help diversify Britain’s energy mix for the future.”

Solarplaza hosts 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.

For more information, please contact: E. Koot (e.koot@solarplaza.com; www.ukpvconference.com; +31 (0)10 280 9198).