Renewable Energy Installer February 2014 | Page 18

Opinion
Making an
exhibition of
ourselves
Kim Mann, Krannich Solar,
discusses whether large industry
exhibitions, such as next month’s
Ecobuild, are still worth making
time and effort for in a maturing
market
he footfall, enthusiasm and sense of aspiration at
exhibitions in 2011, when the PV industry was
fi rst blossoming, was incredible. Everything was
shiny and new, the PV industry was an exciting
place to be and - until Greg Barker’s speech
at Solar Power UK put the proverbial ‘spanner in the works’
that October - we were all busy meeting the manufacturers,
suppliers and customers with whom we were going to prosper
as our industry fl ourished.
Jump forward to a somewhat more challenging
marketplace in 2014, and it’s perhaps not surprising that
exhibitions are often viewed with scepticism or ambivalence.
They’re expensive and time-consuming for exhibitors, often
repetitive and logistically tiresome for visitors and they
distract us all from our day-to-day business activity – not
something any of us take lightly.
So are they still worth bothering with? Absolutely. Every
time I go to a show such as Ecobuild, I’m struck by how
refreshing it is to get face-to-face with prospects, customers
and suppliers, in an environment where everyone is slightly
removed from the day-to-day pressures of business and can
remind themselves of the bigger picture.
Fundamentally, it all comes down to communication. As
well as meeting new customers, we also get to fi nd out what
our existing customers love about us and what we could do
better. Installers get to see, touch and compare products,
manufacturers and suppliers all under one roof and in a
way that is so much more tangible and engaging than any
datasheet, website or brochure can ever be.
Healthy competition in an environment like this drives
industry progress and excellence. So I invite you to join me in
breaking out of the offi ce routine, accepting the achy feet and
tolerating the busy roads and trains because I believe that
exhibitions are truly valuable for visitors and exhibitors alike.
See you at Ecobuild!
T
18 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
Talking point
Liz MacFarlane, Zenex Solar, urges
installers to move early and get involved
in the fl edgling but lucrative market for
large scale solar
G
reg Barker recently
spoke at a BPVA
event and told
industry attendees
that the UK is the most
exciting solar PV market in
Europe.
He urged us forward and
predicted total capacity to rise
to 3.5GW by the end of March,
with a note of caution aimed
at preserving public support
by avoiding development of
inappropriate green fi eld sites.
My own feeling is that
the large solar fi eld arrays are
a vital part of us hitting our
targets and that, in general,
public support is good. Solar
will become an acceptable part of our landscape and we shouldn’t shy
away from that. There is no benefi t to anyone in closing off any avenue
for solar however I do think perhaps there should be more emphasis on
large commercial roof installations. It makes sense to me that industrial
or retail premises with high energy usage and large open roof space
provide the perfect opportunity for solar investment. It also seems
sensible that the grid is less likely to creak in these urban locations.
As foreign developers approach the UK solar big-fi eld market, I’m
hoping our own UK investors and installers are leading the way.
Meanwhile, the commercial roof space market is an option for proven
installation companies of all scales. With this in mind, we are helping
our own installer customers to grow the market by enabling them to
fund such projects. We have recently launched Zenex Partner Projects,
aimed at working with installers to help them fund solar schemes
which might otherwise have been out of their reach in terms of cash
fl ow. We’re all doing our bit to drive support for solar and as Mr Barker
said: “I’ll be glad when solar is no longer seen as ‘alternative’ energy.”