News
Events
Intersolar Europe
02-04 June Munich, Germany
http://www.intersolar.de/en/
intersolar-europe.html
RHI Roadshows
17-19 June All Energy Environment Expo.
ExCel, London
26-27 June Eco Technology Show. The
Brighton Centre
28-29 June The Southern Homebuilding &
Renovating Show. Sandown Park, Surrey
NAPIT Expo
09 July The Rum Warehouse, Liverpool
http://www.napitexpo.co.uk/
Energy Effi ciency & Renewables
Awards
26 September, Kensington Roof Gardens
www.renewableenergyinstaller.
co.uk/awards/
DECC proposes solar RO scrapping
DECC has proposed closing the Renewables Obligation (RO) to 5MW+ solar farm applications
from April 2015.
It follows the recent publication of The Solar Strategy document which endorses a move
away from large rural solar farms towards populating more commercial rooftops.
For all solar over 5MW, the industry is expected to switch to the new Contracts for
Difference (CfD) scheme from next year, but the STA argues that CfDs are far less accessible for
the SMEs that are prevalent in the solar sector.
In what it has labelled as ‘an own goal’, the STA says the proposals will cause huge
disruption to the solar industry’s speed of cost reduction, should they go through.
There will be no change to the RO for this current year and investments already made will
receive a one year grace period after the RO closes to 5MW+ solar in April 2015. The proposals
will also not affect the Feed-in Tariff for household installations.
STA ceo Paul Barwell said: “The costs of solar power have kept on falling, in large part
thanks to the growth and learning in our successful UK industry. We had forecast solar could be
cheaper than onshore wind by 2018, but for this to happen we needed stable policy sustaining
a high-volume market. The government is actually moving to slow down solar’s cost reductions
towards grid parity.
“The industry will be alarmed by these proposals and surprised to be singled out for harsh
treatment. It does look like the government is seeking to defi ne the energy mix and hiding
behind the false excuse of ‘budget management’.”
Old news: DECC proposes removing RO support for large solar farms as it bids to increase the
number of commercial rooftop systems
Nextgen 2014
08-09 October Stoneleigh Park, Warks
http://ebec.nextgenexpo.co.uk/
Solar Energy UK 2014
14-16 October NEC, Birmingham
http://uk.solarenergyevents.com/
Heating & Renewables Roadshows
Autumn 2015
www.heatingandrenewablesroadshow.co.uk
REI gains EEC CPD approval Ecotricity saves Evance from
REI is now an Energy CPD
administration
Approved publication.
The European Energy
Centre, which provides training,
conferences and publications
to 5,000 individuals across
Europe each year, has approved
the magazine as suitable
for Continued Professional
Development (CPD) for
delegates gaining qualifi cations
in renewable energy technologies.
Paolo Buoni, EEC director, said: “I believe REI will be of great
benefi t and an indispensable read to EnergyCPD members made
up of professionals and students in the renewable energy sector.”
www.EnergyCPD.co.uk
6 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
Green electricity provider Ecotricity has bought small wind turbine
manufacturer Evance out of administration.
Having manufactured and supplied almost 2,000 turbines across the
globe over the past 10 years, Evance was placed into administration in April
following a 20 percent cut to the Feed-in Tariff for <15kW wind turbines.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said the purchase would ensure vital
expertise were retained and that new turbine models currently in the
pipeline were not lost to the market.
“So many small wind companies are going out of business in Britain due
to government policy,” said Vince.
“With the green sector responsible for around 10 percent of Britain’s
GDP growth, that’s hard to fathom.
“Despite this we’re very pleased to be in a position to save Evance,
green sector expertise and new technology that we will bring to market in
the next 12 months.”