Half a million UK buildings have solar panels
Give yourself a pat on the back if you installed solar panels in 2014 or early January 2015. You’re one of the installations that mark a major milestone for solar power in the UK – half a million solar panels on UK buildings.
The figures speak for themselves
The end of 2014 saw 5GW of solar photovoltaic panels (up from 2.8GW at the end of 2013) installed by homeowners, schools, offices, police stations, farms, warehouses and train stations (source: Department of Energy and Climate Change). This increase equates to supplying the equivalent of 1.5m homes in the UK.
By 5th January, 499,687 solar schemes had been installed under the Government’s Feed In Tariff, according to the Department ofEnergyand Climate Change. And by mid January, further solar panel installations took the figure to the half a million mark.
Praise given to UK households
Leonie Greene of the Solar Trade Association is pleased with the uptake of solar technology by UK households and told Business Green,”A quiet solar revolution has been taking place led by half a million everyday households. Polls show over and over that the public back renewables and they have indeed put their hands in their pockets to prove it.”
She also believes that further investment by the public will help level the playing field with the main energy suppliers.
“Everyone who invests in solar is helping to bring down costs for everyone else in future. Thanks to public investment subsidies have dropped 65% in three years and costs continue to fall. If we carry on investing, solar will soon be able to compete with ‘Big Six’ energy bills without subsidy. The FIT cost around £7 on household bills last year, so for all the hysteria about renewables costs, this is proving to be a very affordable energy revolution indeed.”
The solar industry hopes to install solar schemes on one million UK homes by 2015.
Praise given to UK solar businesses too
UK solar businesses were also acknowledged by Paul Barwell, CEO of the Solar Trade Association, “This milestone achievement is testament to the hard work of Britain’s several thousand solar businesses, almost of all of them small and medium sized companies, who are all at the forefront of a real solar transformation as the technology steadily becomes one of the cheapest sources of clean, home-grown power.”
He also confirmed that analysis shows that “solar is the most popular form of energy generation, and could provide 50,000 jobs by 2030 if given the right support.”
And for any sceptics out there, “Solar clearly works in Britain. Panels in London generate 65% as much energy as in Madrid, and the panels work more efficiently in cooler temperatures.”
To find out more about the Government’s Feed In Tariff (FIT), head to our Funding and Incentives section here.
And for further information about solar panel installation, give us a call on 01242 370 308 and we’ll be happy to advise you.
