Opinion
Q&A
Two minutes
with . . .
KEVIN ARTHUR
Oxford PV
Who are you?
Christos Kottis, commercial director at GreenKit
What do you do?
My role involves liaising closely with leading solar PV, biomass,
heat pump and energy efficiency manufacturers to select the best
products to supply, and ensure we have the right stock in place for
our trade customers. It’s important to make sure we have what our
customers need, when they need it and at the right price in order to
remain competitive.
Where are you?
Our head office and national distribution centre is based in
Nantwich, Cheshire, and from here we supply installers, house-
builders and public sector trades-people across the UK.
How’s business at the moment?
It’s great, we are really busy at the moment. The solar PV market
in the UK is growing steadily again but with the commercial, and
now domestic RHI available we are inundated with enquiries for
heat pumps and biomass systems to add to our steady stream of PV
orders.
How could it be better?
We would welcome a more consistent government strategy on
renewable incentives as the constant changes and uncertainty
can undermine confidence and negatively affect the market and
ourselves as a renewables supplier.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?
It’s not so much business advice but something my mentor at
Manchester Business School used to say: “Some managers make
things happen, some hope things will happen and some wonder
what has happened…”
In other words, in a fast-paced business environment, you
cannot stay still or rest on your laurels so keep evolving and
continually looking for growth opportunities.
REI: What have you got planned for the rest of 2014?
KA: We’ll be pushing ahead towards a power
conversion efficiency of 20 percent and working
on achieving the stability that is needed for our PV
technology to be incorporated into buildings. At the
same time, we will be exploring the utility market and
will also be launching a pretty major funding round.
The team is likely to expand by another 15-10 people
too. It’s going to be a busy nine months!
What do you see as the growth areas for renewables?
Well, clearly, I think solar power is the future. The
construction industry used 51 million tonnes of flat
glass in 2013 and the potential for building integrated
photovoltaics (BIPV) in facades is enormous. This
applies to both new schemes and to the retrofit
market, where new energy-generating skins will
replace out-of-date facades on existing low efficiency
buildings.
Renewable energy across the board (wind, wave etc)
will continue to grow. New and efficient electricity
storage solutions will be key; these will transform the
whole market and especially solar.
How is your company cutting its carbon footprint?
By developing low cost and efficient solar cells that
can ultimately change the make-up of the global
energy market and the UK’s role in it.
The Science Park on which we’re based is committed
to reducing carbon and has installed a solar array, but
ultimately it is our core activity that will make the
real difference.
Kevin Arthur is Oxford PV’s ceo
16 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk