Solar Power First

As we scanned the solar industry news, we were delighted to see exciting new plans revealed that would see the installation of a major new solar farm on a 420,000sq.m site near Darlington. Darlington Borough Council has been asked for planning guidance with regards to a new solar project on land just east of Aycliffe Village. The proposed solar farm could have an export capacity of up to 31 Megawatts – which would be enough to power in the region of 10,000 average homes! The Solar Trade Association has welcomed the news, reminding the public that the UK needs to continue to increase its solar generation considerably if it is to meet its 15% renewable energy target by the end of this year, or early next year at the very least. A spokesperson for the STA stated: “Solar creates investment and local green jobs, whilst reducing the reliance on overseas fossil fuel imports.” A spokesman for the firm running the project added: “The low-lying solar development would sit within the gently rolli...

It was great to see news recently that a Shropshire hospital, in addition to all it already does to help people, is choosing to add further benefit to their community by sourcing their ongoing power requirements from solar energy. The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital is the hospital in question, and is planning to transform their energy usage through a series of projects, the first of which will be achieved through the installation of 1,760 solar panels across the hospital site. On a summer’s day, the installation will be capable of generating in the region of 2,300kWh of electricity, with more than 99.9% of this energy going directly toward the hospital’s own electricity system, which in addition to reducing the hospital’s carbon footprint, will also reduce day-to-day running costs. This level of generation is roughly equivalent to supplying 280 family homes with 100% of their electricity for an average day’s consumption. The hospital will send the remaining fraction o...

  If there’s one thing we know about Texas, it’s that it’s huge. If there’s another thing we know, it’s that it gets its fair share of sunshine. With that in mind, it makes it the perfect place for a large-scale solar project, which is exactly what Nestle are in the process of doing, a project that will prove to be their largest renewable energy investment to date. The solar project, which will cover around 2,000 acres, is making use of NextTracker components, Power Electronics’ Freesun HEM inverters and in the region of 855,000 Jinko Solar modules. The project, named Taygete I, has generated more than 300 jobs during peak construction. Over the life of the new construction, it is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in property tax revenue for Texas. 7X Energy, who are a utility-scale solar developer, have partnered with Nestlé as the sole tax equity investor, with 7X also being the project owner and asset manager. Their CEO, Clay Butler, commented on the project, sayi...

  We’re always interested to hear about the different ways that nations are making use of solar, from homes, to offices to major industry, but one area we haven’t covered much to date is tourism and hospitality. That’s why it was so interesting to us to hear recently that Saudi Arabia appears to be planning what is claimed to be the world’s largest battery storage site, which they plan to use to power a huge new tourist complex by the Red Sea. The project, which is estimated to take a decade to reach its full completion, is being carried out by The Red Sea Development Company and is going to use an eventual 1GWh-worth of battery storage to ensure that the biggest holiday complex on the planet will be fully powered by renewable energy 24/7. The first phase will include the addition of 210MW in wind and solar generation, with the aim of being in place by 2022 and powering the 12 hotels and an airport that should be up and running by this point.   By the time the project culminat...

  We always enjoy hearing about successful solar projects, but it is also worth remembering that there are some solar projects which face a fight to go ahead, which is the case with the story we bring you today. Cardross Golf Club, a beautiful coastal course just north of Glasgow, is currently appealing a decision to deny them permission to go ahead with adding a collection of 108 solar panels to the roof of its clubhouse. The proposal was recently rejected by Argyll and Bute Council, but the club are not willing to give up hope. A council official is quoted as saying that the addition of the panels would prove to be ‘dominant, visually obtrusive and discordant’. The club found this to be odd, given that no objections were received from either members of the public or Historic Environment Scotland. A statement from Cardross Golf Club said: “Further to our conversations with the planning office and the original approval of the application from the department, we are very disappointe...

  We love hearing about companies who are taking ownership over their environmental impact and making the switch to renewable energy. This week, we were particularly pleased to hear about a recent milestone reached by SPAR Austria. Since 2010, SPAR Austria has put a real focus on powering their stores via renewable energy. During November, they added solar panels to the roof of the SPAR Supermarket in Wolkersdorf, Lower Austria, alongside solar storage. This happened to be their 100th solar-powered store in the country!  During 2019, SPAR’s rooftop solar systems at their stores generated around 4.8 MWh of green electricity, used onsite and bringing a CO2 reduction of around 800 tonnes. SPAR uses their solar energy to power instore cooling, lighting and IT systems.  They’re not stopping there though, as SPAR Austria currently spends around €1m per year on the expansion of solar energy, and they plan to continue to expand this scheme across the county. With the increase in ...

  We were expecting to see some major developments with regards to solar projects across the UK, particularly with the recent emphasis on solar energy as part of the UK’s ‘carbon neutral by 2050’ aim. That said, we weren’t expecting to see an announcement of a new project that is ten times the size of the UK’s previous record! That’s exactly what we got this week from InterGen, who have announced that they’ve been given planning approval for a battery storage project tol be built at DP World London Gateway on the Thames Estuary.  The project will cost around £200m and add up to 640MWh of capacity, with the potential to expand up to 1.3GWh, which would put it at ten times the size of the previous largest battery project in the UK. Given that solar panel installations are continuing to grow, solar battery storage installations need to keep pace if they are to make full use of solar generation in the UK. The majority of InterGen’s battery storage from this project will support st...

Just when you think you’ve heard of everything with regards to solar innovation, news of a car park where every space is roofed by a solar panel comes and opens your eyes to new possibilities! This is the project recently announced by Aviva, and supported by the Scottish Government, is one of the UK’s biggest solar carport and energy storage facilities. This project covers 342 car park spaces alongside around 50 electric vehicle charging stations. The project is estimated to lead to an annual saving of nearly 400 tonnes of carbon emission, equivalent to powering 500 homes for a full year. It means Aviva’s office can go “off grid” for around  five hours per day at peak national grid times, with surplus energy stored in solar batteries for later use. Aviva employs 2,000 people in Scotland, with around half of those at their Perth office, home to its property claims centre for commercial and personal property.  Nick Amin, who is Aviva’s chief operating officer, shared: “It’s vit...

  2020 has been a year that will live long in the memory, sadly not for the best reasons. That said, many people, and many industries, have shown great resilience to help build towards a better future. We believe that the continued progression in the adoption of solar energy is one such positive. Reports in a number of national newspapers this week have claimed that 2020’s output in terms of the amount of energy generated from solar panels across the UK is already well past the previous record.  Since detailed records began around 10 years ago, there has been an upward trajectory for the most part, but even with the hardships faced by many, solar output has shown no sign of slowing. In fact, some of the specific elements of 2020 may even have helped aid solar generation.  In addition to a very sunny spring in the UK, there was also a significant reduction in pollution in many areas due to lockdowns. If you look at the industry 10 years ago, solar panels were cost-prohibi...

When it comes to the global solar investment race, we’re used to seeing China, the USA and a few others at the top of the list, but it was exciting to see India make a huge commitment to solar in recent days. The government of India has announced a funding package that includes over £450m - or 45 BILLION Indian rupees! - of investment over the next five years. This funding will be put into the production of solar panels and solar storage as part of developing high-efficiency PV projects across the country. This solar investment is part of a move by India’s cabinet to help boost domestic manufacturers, become globally competitive in a number of new industries, create economies of scale and increase exports.  The government said their solar investment “will incentivise domestic and global players to build large-scale solar PV capacity in India and help India leapfrog in capturing the global value chains for solar PV manufacturing”. A further 181 billion rupees, around £1.8bn has bee...

Purchasing your own yacht has long been a signature move for those who move into the multi-millionaire bracket, but are you aware that a new breed of eco-friendly yachts are now on offer? I’m not suggesting that any of us are in the market to buy one, although I don’t want to discount the possibility that we may have multi-millionaires within our readership! Either way, we thought it was an interesting story to read about some of the environmentally-friendly customisations that can be made to modern yachts. One such yacht that has been ghe 60 Sunreef Power Eco yacht also has an electric engine and could be the future of environmentally friendly sea travel for those willing to splash out on a catamaran. The yacht is said to provide silent and vibration-free cruising. Its twin engines are powered by battery storage. They are said to allow for up to six hours of cruising in silence before they'll need charging with further solar energy. The batteries can also power all the appliances ...

  With more and more local councils across the UK switching onto the value of solar panels in both environmental and economic terms, it’s exciting to be able to share regular news of new councils joining the solar revolution. This week it’s Bury’s turn! Bury council have announced a new solar panel project involving the installation of 69 solar panels at the council’s HQ at Bradley Fold. These 69 panels have each been attached to the south-facing roof of their vehicle depot. The project, carried out by Solarcrown, will see the solar panels generate roughly 22,000kWh of electricity per year, which in turn will reduce carbon emissions by around 10 tonnes annually. The installation will cost in the region of £27,000, an outlay that Bury Council expects to recoup within eight years, before going on to save a further £140,000 in electricity bills over the project’s lifetime. This is in addition to the savings already being enjoyed after the installation of LED lighting at their site in ...

An exciting new business development in the North West of England has made solar energy generation a centrepiece of its recently unveiled site. What a perfect combination! More than 1,000 solar panels have been installed at the new £35m EG Group headquarters in Blackburn, making it one of the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the country. The four-storey building with views over Fishmoor Reservoir in Haslingden Road took three years to complete and takes up 130,000 square feet of space.  The new offices can accommodate up to 700 staff, and it is believed to be the largest commercial building project of its kind in the region. Huddersfield-based U Energy Solar said the building has been designed with ‘energy savings and carbon offsetting’ at its core. The steel frame structure encompasses triple skinned composite panelled walls, designed and cladded by Leach Structural Steelwork based in Garstang, which helps with heating and cooling. Double glazed reflective coated window...

  A new whitepaper - recently released by the leading consultancy firm Atkins - has suggested that the UK will need to deploy 80GW of solar, in addition to 20-30GW of battery storage, in order to meet its net zero target, a target it is currently falling well short of. We are always interested in projections with regards to how the solar industry in the UK is currently performing, so to see such a stark need for further solar panel installations and smart battery storage across the UK definitely caught our eye. The news was particularly notable as it made direct reference to the UK’s net zero target, a key aim for the government given their 2019 step of becoming the first major economy to declare they want to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. While the UK has managed to reduce 1990 levels by 42% thus far, it is useful at times to have some constructive critique alongside the success stories, so the Atkins findings could provide a sobering and, hopefully, moti...

A recent study carried out by a researcher at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs has found that over the past decade, around 20% airports in the USA have adopted the use of solar panels . This is a really encouraging step, particularly in a country that has been mixed in recent times on its approach to climate-related matters, but this assessment of 488 public airports suggests that many of them are committed to positive steps in terms of their utilisation of renewable energy. The researcher in question, Serena Kim PhD, interestingly found that those airports under the oversight of general-purpose governments - whether at city, state or county level - have actually adopted solar panel use at a higher rate than special-purpose governments such as port or airport authorities.  Serena Kim also found that while airports linked to professional organisations are more likely to have added solar, this is strongly linked to airport governance, with factors such as hi...

Solar panel suppliers in the UK have become more popular over the last 10 years as more and more people look to take control of their energy supply and lower their electricity bills.  The cost of solar panels and solar battery storage in the past might have seemed too much to many people, but these days there are plenty of households looking for more information about solar panel suppliers in order to make the right choice for their home energy requirements. Whether you are buying a home for the first time, looking to develop a property and add value to the sale price, a growing family looking to cut household bills, or secure a renewable energy source for future retirement, it is worth considering a purchase from solar panel suppliers. When it comes to finding the best solar deal, you should consider a few key factors, namely: Track Record It is always best to look at the reviews for any supplier you can consider to get a feel for how they have been rated. A testimonial section o...

As many UK families and individual homeowners start to consider alternative ways in which to provide power for their homes, ways that are more conscious of the environment, a solar battery - or smart battery - paired with solar panels offers a real and viable alternative to only using traditional electricity providers. New ranges of solar panels and solar batteries in the UK provide many different benefits worth considering. Whatever your stage of life, it is well worth considering the cost-effective and innovative home solar battery solutions that are currently on the market. Making the most of solar energy can change everything about a home’s energy usage; you can soon be experiencing solar energy for your home, generated in the day by your solar panels and stored in your solar battery, enabling it to be used any time, including night, saving money and helping the environment in the process. How do solar batteries work? Whether you are completely new to exploring this topic, or have...