April 1st 2019 saw the closure of the feed-in tariff scheme for the support of new solar installations. We look back at the successes and failures of the scheme, and cast our eyes towards a subsidy-free solar future. THE STORY OF FEED-IN TARIFFS Launched in April 2010, feed-in tariffs have been responsible for massive uptake
UK power prices turned negative for nine consecutive hours on Sunday in what’s been billed as an “extraordinary turn of events” for the country’s electricity system. Unusually low demand, some 2GW below forecasts, combined with high wind generation to send prices spiralling, and National Grid was even forced into instructing onshore and offshore wind farms
ScottishPower has revealed intentions to make Glasgow the UK’s first ‘net zero’ city, in collaboration with Glasgow City Council. And the utility is also preparing a battery storage rush in a bid to support its renewable energy ambitions. To achieve net zero emissions, the city will need to decarbonise heat and transport, as well as
Jeremy Corbyn to make pledge as part of party’s ‘green industrial revolution’ Labour have announced plans to fit solar panels to 1.75m homes lived in by socially housed or low-income households as part of its promised “green industrial revolution” to try to combat climate change and boost jobs. The programme is due to be announced
Good Energy argues the government's solar tax proposals urgently need a rethink Another government consultation has ended on increasing VAT on low-carbon technologies, including domestic solar panels, biomass boilers, and battery storage. Consumers are facing a five per cent to 20 per cent hike in costs to climate change solutions we can use today. Meanwhile,
The Labour Party has announced plans to install solar one 1.75 million homes as part of a huge energy sector shake-up. The plans would see solar installed on 1 million social homes in a bid to tackle fuel poverty, while a series of interest free loans, grants and regulatory changes will help enable an additional
Yet another power generation record fell in the UK yesterday afternoon, as the country’s solar fleet set a new generation record. The UK’s solar generation topped out at 9.47GW around midday yesterday (Tuesday 13 May 2019), toppling the previous record of 9.38GW set in May 2017. And with the bright skies set to continue, there’s
The changes are set to come in from 1 October HMRC has proposed a price hike for a number of sustainable energy sources Prices would be higher, going from 5% to 20% VAT HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is set to introduce higher VAT rates for the installation of a number of renewable and sustainable
The government is aiming to start the legislative process for the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) before the summer in a bid to have the export tariff up and running before the end of the year. Earlier this week Labour MP Kerry McCarthy quizzed officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on
Almost 242.5MW of solar was installed under the feed-in tariff in Q1 2019, representing a significant surge as the scheme was shuttered for good. The feed-in tariff closed to new applicants from 1 April 2019 and, as has become customary under the scheme’s ‘boom and bust’ cycles, installers up and down the country rushed to