ENERGY
Beaming – UCS Renewables directors Simon Close ( left ) and Paul Kidd .
How UCS Technologies can help your business protect itself from increased energy prices
SUNNY SIDE UP !
Solar power specialist UCS Renewables has come through the storms that have beset the industry and now it ’ s blue skies ahead …
The solar power industry has changed beyond all recognition since UCS Renewables started out 14 years ago .
Back in 2009 , the Middlesbrough-based business primarily served the IT sector , installing infrastructure for customers in the education , local government , health and construction sectors .
Then the recession hit , significantly impacting the construction industry , leaving new projects on hold and resulting in a shortage of work for many companies .
Not wanting to let go of its highly-skilled workforce , UCS sought a viable solution to keep the business together .
Through its network the firm learned about the Feed-in Tariff programme , which offered incentives to households and businesses for generating their own energy .
This discovery led UCS to a renewable energy technologies trade show in London and then to a new training centre in County Durham , where 10 staff were re-skilled .
“ We were able to retain the knowledge , skills and experience within our team ,” recalls director Paul Kidd .
“ Since then we ’ ve offered technical experience to students at Teesside University and integrated two additional project teams from our IT division into the solar sector of our business .”
Now , 14 years on , UCS Renewables is one of the North-East ’ s most established solar energy installation companies , working with national clients and collaborating closely with local businesses .
“ The solar industry today is much different from 15 years ago ,” says Paul . “ While installations were once driven by financial incentives to support greener energy , today the cost of solar
installations has almost halved due to increased demand from businesses and homeowners .
“ The recent energy crisis has accelerated the need for solar , as consumers look to lower their bills and reduce dependency on the national grid .
“ Energy security is another factor . An increased reliance on electricity , the shift to electric vehicles and the desire to reduce fossil fuel use have all driven demand for energy storage .
“ Consumers often work alongside energy suppliers by sharing energy from battery storage , exporting back to the grid and receiving payments for doing so .”
Challenges remain in the industry . Market volatility has led to boom-and-bust cycles , often influenced by government initiatives and events such as the pandemic , which caused material costs to spike .
“ Government directives , while sometimes helpful , can disrupt the sustainability of businesses and compromise service quality ,” says Paul .
“ When we established the Renewables division of UCS at the start of the Feedin Tariff programme , many companies entered the market with short-term goals to make quick profits , only to exit later .
“ This led to a tarnished reputation for the solar industry , with cases of mis-selling and poor workmanship . The number of registered companies plummeted from a peak of 1,500 to fewer than 400 within a few years .
“ Thankfully , this recent industry growth has seen less of the mis-selling issues we encountered before .”
Today ’ s primary challenge , says Paul , is a resource shortage . The renewables sector is still in its infancy and finding the right balance of skilled engineers and particularly recruiting and training electricians is difficult .
“ A solar team can ’ t operate without qualified , experienced electricians , and we ’ re grateful for the teams we have ,” he says . “ However , bringing in new staff – especially aspiring electricians – can be challenging , since the electrical work involved in a solar installation is relatively minimal , limiting new apprentices ’ learning and growth .
“ As we ’ ve grown , we ’ ve expanded into other areas , such as electric vehicle charging and LED lighting . This expansion allows us to bring in new engineers and provide them with a foundation in electrical work .
“ It ’ s not perfect , but as an industry we have to collaborate with partners , schools and colleges to cultivate more wellrounded , technically skilled engineers .”
The future of renewable energy is undoubtedly exciting . Photovoltaic arrays are becoming more efficient , generating higher outputs , and new technologies continue to emerge as greener energy adoption grows .
And UCS Renewables is set to remain firmly at the centre of the ongoing solar revolution .
Paul says : “ We ’ re proud to serve local businesses and homeowners . We employ locally and we look forward to continuing our growth in the region for many years to come .”
See the next page for a case study shining a light on how UCS Technologies helps clients tap into solar energy opportunities .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 93