Solar power steps out of the shadows to 5 GW of capacity

Often seen to be in shadow of the much larger wind energy industry, the UK solar energy industry is currently going from strength to strength. Solar electricity generation almost doubled over the course of last year, with almost 5 GW of generating capacity in place at the end of 2014, up from 2.8 GW at the end of 2013, according to the Solar Trade Association (STA) quoting figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The UK now has over 650,000 solar installations, across homes, offices, schools, churches, warehouses, farms, police stations, train stations etc.

DECC statistics on small-scale solar PV installations also show that over 125,000 homes put solar on their roofs last year. Last, some 700 MW of solar power generation equipment was installed on buildings and at ground-mounted solar farms, thanks to the feed-in tariff, over the course of 2014.

The statistics reflect steady growth in the UK solar industry, much of this within the large-scale installation sector, and rapidly falling costs, says the STA. Indeed solar power: ‘has come from nowhere at the start of this Parliament to providing nearly 10% of all renewable power over the last quarter,’ said the Association recently.

Paul Barwell, CEO of the STA, commented: ‘We are now well underway to a million solar installations, of all shapes and sizes, across the country. Solar could, by 2020, be cost competitive with gas and no longer need any kind of government support at all on homes and commercial roofs.’

But, added Barwell: ‘We will only reach that point if the next government provides a stable policy framework and a level playing field with other technologies. Last year was a rollercoaster for the solar industry, with the closure of the Renewables Obligation to large solar farms sending shockwaves of uncertainty across the renewables industry. The outlook from this April is a concern and it seems to make little sense to stymie such a success story. I hope the new government will build on this success and set higher solar targets for 2020.’

Yet, at this crucial growth period and with a post-subsidy world for solar said to be on the horizon, there is confusion over how Britain’s solar industry is represented to the wider world.

The STA ended its four-year formal affiliation with the wider Renewable Energy Association (REA) from the start of this year, citing the intention for each organisation to focus on their core strengths. In January, the REA launched a new organisation, Solar UK to: ‘become the trusted voice of solar power in the UK.’ Meanwhile, the British Photovoltaic Association, formed in 2010, claims to be: ‘the most influential and trusted voice of the [photovoltaic] industry.’