The energy bills crisis has prompted a big rise in demand for solar panels. Just over 3,000 solar installations are being carried out every week, according to trade association Solar Energy UK, up from 1,000 a week in July 2020. One provider said this month it had seen enquiries about solar panels rise tenfold. "More
Planning application refusals for solar farms are higher than ever, despite the energy price crisis and the climate crisis. Planning permission for 23 solar farms has been refused across England, Wales and Scotland between January 2021 and July 2022, which could have produced enough renewable energy to power an estimated 147,000 homes annually, according to new analysis. Just four projects were refused planning permission during 2017,
With temperatures across the UK soaring to over 30°C amid last week’s heatwave, The Eco Experts has disclosed a record amount for searches for “solar panels’ had been reached. According to Google Trends on Thursday 11 August, the UK collectively reached a score of 100 for the first time searching for solar panels – an increase
It caught even seasoned clean energy industry veterans by surprise when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a deal had been struck on the US Inflation Reduction Act. It includes what’s been described by President Joe Biden as the biggest-ever investment in climate protection and energy security, a US$369 billion
It is hotter than ever. The country is tinder-dry. There were more wildfires in the single month of July than during all of last year. During the recent heatwave, temperatures exceeded 40C and scores of houses burnt down on the edge of London. Another damaging heatwave is on its way. Water restrictions are now in force. These catastrophic climate conditions have been knowingly fuelled
Exeter’s solar farm and battery storage facility is nearing completion and will soon be powering the city’s electric fleet of vehicles and recycling centre with green energy. The project is another big step towards Exeter ambition to become a Net Zero Carbon City by 2030. The Water Lane Solar Park at Marsh Barton features
The Inflation Reduction Act took a significant step forward over the weekend as US vice-president Kamala Harris cast a decisive vote to break a 50:50 tie of Senators to pass the legislation. Emerging late last month the deal, negotiated largely in the background by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and long-time holdout on Build Back Better, West
Some businesses will face energy bills five times higher than they’re currently paying from October, according to new analysis from Cornwall Insight. Energy bills for businesses have surged over the last 15 months and particular through the first half of 2022 as wholesale prices have spiked due to concerns over Russian gas supply, tight electricity markets in
Wind farms paying back through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme due to high power prices could now pay back £25 to each household from this October. According to new analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), the process for these payments reaching bills was previously unclear and the benefits delayed. But a
The Default Tariff Cap is now predicted to stay above £3,000 a year for the next 15 months, according to the most recent forecast from Cornwall Insight. Continued market volatility amid concerns over the security of gas going into winter, in particular following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have led to further jumps in price cap