Renewable Energy Installer December/January 2014 | Page 36

Knowledge: The year ahead
Continued from page 35
biomass is an investment and the green bit’s a
happy by-product.”
Cathryn Hickey, executive director
of the National Skills Academy for
Environmental Technologies, says her
organisation will be on hand to help installers
benefit from the RHI: “Renewables look set to
get a real boost in 2014, particularly in terms
of heat-based technologies. With the domestic
RHI scheduled to launch next spring, it
will provide real business opportunities for
suitably trained installers. DECC’s recently
introduced training voucher scheme is an
excellent opportunity to up-skill in RHI-related
microgeneration systems at a greatly reduced
price. Installers should take advantage of this
scheme now so they’re ready for the RHI.
In the meantime, tell your customers about
renewables and the benefits these present –
we’ve produced a number of guides to help
you do this. Installers educating consumers
will help drive the RHI forward, helping end
users feel confident in choosing greener ways
to heat their homes.”
2014 should also see a return to sustained
growth in the PV market, according to
Krannich Solar and Sibert Solar, as the sector
continues to mature and put more daylight
between now and the sudden crash which
occurred in the wake of reductions to the
Feed-in Tariff in 2012.
Kim Mann, chief operating officer,
Krannich Solar UK, says: “Despite the
obvious challenges which the market has
faced throughout 2013, I feel that we are
finally beginning to gain the kind of stability
which we have all craved. There is now a
real cohesion and mutual respect within the
industry and I look forward to the continued
development of this next year. The true
value of PV is finally becoming more widely
understood and recognised, largely in light
of ever-increasing grid energy prices. I
envisage that 2014 will therefore see some
long-overdue expansion within the 50-250kW
sector, as well as the slow but steady recovery
of the domestic market.”
Andy O’Leary, Sibert Solar, adds: “Here
at Sibert Solar we believe that 2014 will bring
continued and sustainable growth in the UK’s
renewable energy sector.  Historical issues
with poor FiT degression control, short-
sighted/poor-quality installation practices and
a volatile supply chain are hopefully behind us
36 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
Business as usual
Paul Hutchens, managing director at
Eco2Solar, believes that 2014 will see
a shift in consumer mindset away from
renewables being perceived as a peripheral
technology to becoming a mainstream
solution competing shoulder-to-shoulder
with traditional sources.
“I believe that 2014 will see
sustainable energy becoming ‘business as
usual’ as opposed to a niche market,” he
says.
“The constant energy price increases
are making homeowners, businesses and
New dawn: Paul Hutchens, Eco2Solar, is
property owners take note of their energy
enthusiastic about renewable energy’s
use. In a recent survey by the Major Energy
prospects in 2014
Users Council, 91 per cent of businesses
believe that energy inflation is a major
threat to doing business.
“2014 should see robust numbers of renewable and energy efficiency installations
due to availability of incentives and regulations including Feed-in Tariffs, the
Renewable Heat Incentive, Green Deal, Eco and new building regulations following the
current consultation.”
Continental shift
Richard Rushin, UK sales
manager for Trina Solar,
predicts a fundamental
geographic shift in the sourcing
of PV modules as the EU/China
minimum pricing agreement
begins to filter across the global
supply chain.
He says: “The EU-China solar
trade agreement has changed
the business landscape for solar
companies. With a minimum
pricing now in place, we are competing on quality and service. But there is also now
a vital extra dimension in that both purchasers and manufacturers face stiff penalties
if they breach the pricing agreement, something that could inadvertently happen
without due care and attention. These penalties mean that purchasers must conduct
due diligence on a provider’s back office compliance team to ensure business security.
“We have already seen a third of Chinese companies previously trading with the
EU pull out of the market since the agreement was made, largely due to the increased
administrative burden. I expect even more will cease to operate in the European
market through 2014.”