solar

Going green in Lancashire – hundreds of houses installed with solar panels in ground-breaking project

A pivotal residential development featuring 250 properties with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, has completed in Nelson and Colne, Lancashire. Delivered by social housing provider Together Housing Association, with supply chain partners Avonside Group and structural engineers Howard Ward Associates (HWA), the scheme is the result of a pioneering three-year project,

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Criticism on the Government’s Approach to Solar Industry

Most recently, it has been highlighted that a number of very influential solar industry executives have pointed the figure at the government for the development of an “ideologically driven campaign” against their specific industry, citing this campaign to have played a pivotal role in its current state of crisis. The

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Solar Rescue Plan Still Unresolved

Towards the end of last year, the Solar Trade Association (STA) launched an emergency rescue scheme to prevent the solar industry going into turmoil. Despite the government promising a vote by 2016, STA’s “£1 solar rescue plan” remains up in the air. Within its proposal, STA promised a rise of

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Latest Issue

BDC 321 : Oct 2024

solar

Going green in Lancashire – hundreds of houses installed with solar panels in ground-breaking project

A pivotal residential development featuring 250 properties with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, has completed in Nelson and Colne, Lancashire. Delivered by social housing provider Together Housing Association, with supply chain partners Avonside Group and structural engineers Howard Ward Associates (HWA), the scheme is the result of a pioneering three-year project, partly funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to help revolutionise the sector’s usage of renewable energy. The £2million project sees 170 of Together Housing’s homes in Colne and 80 properties in Nelson fitted with solar panels, as well as on-site battery storage units which fill with solar energy during the day, storing power for use whenever it is needed. There is also scope for any excess energy generated by the systems to be sold back to energy suppliers, effectively creating a small-scale energy provider. The solar panels were delivered by Avonside Renewables, a division of national building envelope contractor Avonside Group. Avonside Group appointed Nottingham-based HWA in 2019, to provide structural surveys and assess the different types of properties; determining which were suitable and had the capacity for solar panels and battery systems. As well as work on-site, HWA produced desktop studies which provided the groundwork for moving the project on to completion. The project marks a significant step towards converting England’s homes to renewable energy sources, and to the UK’s target of becoming a net zero country by 2050. At the time that the works were carried, it was the largest deployment of solar and battery storage in the UK, for any social housing provider. Residents of the properties have reported substantial cost savings during the first few months since the solar panels and battery storage units were installed, and can expect to save as much as £300 per year on their energy bills. Once the success of this landmark project has been assessed, there is the potential to roll it out to 20,000 of Together Housing’s 37,000+ homes across the country, providing a huge reduction in its carbon footprint. Giles Ward, director at HWA, said: “This was an important, energy-efficient project which the team and I are really pleased to have been a part of. We have worked on numerous PV schemes since the sector was in its infancy and it is one of our specialisms as a firm. “As one of the largest projects of its kind in social housing, we were proud to impart our expertise to help determine the feasibility of the properties. “It was a pleasure to work with Avonside Group, which has worked with many businesses and organisations in multi sectors, to reduce carbon emissions.” Etienne Hilaire, branch manager at Avonside Group, said: “Solar and storage systems offer social housing providers the opportunity to open up many cost-saving and energy-reducing benefits to both their tenants and their business. “This was a substantial project for Together Housing and it’s fantastic what has been delivered. We have already seen the positive impact this is having, with tenants in Colne and Nelson reporting a reduction in their energy bills, thus helping to combat fuel poverty. “The potential to roll this project out to similar housing schemes around the UK could have an incredible impact on our energy consumption on a national scale.”

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Viridian Solar’s Clearline Fusion Passes all European Fire Tests with Top Rating

Viridian Solar announces that its Clearline Fusion BIPV roofing system has completed the full suite of European fire testing for external spread of flame and has been accredited to have the highest fire resilience in all tests: Broof (T1), Broof (T2), Broof (T3) and Broof (T4) The solar panels and roofing kits underwent a battery of different fire-related tests to assess resistance to the spread of flame and roof penetration by a fire that originates externally to the building. “European fire tests are harmonised into one document, but there is no standard single test. For roofing there are four annexes (T1 to 4) describing four different tests. T1 is for Germany and Netherlands, T2 for Scandinavia, T3 for France and T4 the UK and Eire. Building control regulations in different countries will accept different tests. Clearline fusion is the first roof integrated solar system to be tested against all four tests and it has achieved the top rating ‘Broof’ in all of them,” explains KT Tan, Chief Technical Officer at Viridian Solar.   Stuart Elmes, CEO at Viridian added: “Our investment in accreditation gives solar installers and housebuilders confidence that Clearline fusion meets building regulations for external spread of flame, wherever they are installing. Because the product is a proprietary system, there are no grey areas and no concerns about whether what is installed is the same as what was accredited. Fire is an area that regulators in many localities are starting to look at very seriously, especially as solar installation volumes increase.”  

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Criticism on the Government’s Approach to Solar Industry

Most recently, it has been highlighted that a number of very influential solar industry executives have pointed the figure at the government for the development of an “ideologically driven campaign” against their specific industry, citing this campaign to have played a pivotal role in its current state of crisis. The comments, quick to follow the withdrawal of a solar power company with Elon Musk, the billionaire inventor’s backing, from the UK – this being the fourth of such organisations to shut up shop over the past few weeks. As a result, the voices of executives representing solar power companies have become increasingly critical of the government’s role ahead of the planned consultation for a 87% cut to small-scale solar subsidy levels; a move which has not been received all too well as jobs have been cut industry-wide already. As such, the Solar Trade Association has made clear its warning that the new plans could actually lead to the loss of some 27,000 jobs, as well as actually increasing the average customer’s bills by £1 by 2019 – a figure which actually sits on top of the £9 cited to be added to customer energy bills by the solar industry. And of course, with nations such as Germany having been heralded as pioneering a clear way forward for the development of renewables and solar energy projects, it really is of no surprise that businesses have taken the recent news items so harshly. Some of those keen to present their thoughts on this key industry topic include professionals at Trina, the world’s most prominent manufacturer of solar panels, Lark Energy, and Howard Johns, the Solar Trade Association’s previous chairman, and also the founder of Southern Solar. One of the key areas focused upon includes the very way in which solar industries are referred to by the government, which some individuals feel may be taking people away from the benefits that can be seen in the industry. As such, Lark Energy’s Managing Director, Jonathan Selwyn commented: “When the government talks about nuclear and fracking [shale gas] it’s all about investment in energy security and jobs. When it takes about renewables – not just solar – it talks about the costs to hardworking British families.”

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Solar Rescue Plan Still Unresolved

Towards the end of last year, the Solar Trade Association (STA) launched an emergency rescue scheme to prevent the solar industry going into turmoil. Despite the government promising a vote by 2016, STA’s “£1 solar rescue plan” remains up in the air. Within its proposal, STA promised a rise of just £1 on household annual fuel bills as of 2019, thus supporting solar businesses and the government simultaneously. The scheme was geared toward finding a way forward for the renewables industry in light of government cuts to the Feed-in-Tariff which are widely reported to have discouraged stakeholders and clients from investing in solar energy. In its place, STA submitted a four strand procedure hoped to protect business while safeguarding the cost control measures required by the government. The organisation vowed to make solar energy more attractive by setting higher initial tariffs that lead to bigger returns (8p domestic to 4p stand-alone). Under its advisement, the market would also benefit from more relaxed caps while the government would retain the power to control investment and tariff rates. It would add just £1 per year on average household energy bills from 2019 while generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of 875,000 homes. A number of MPs across all of the UK’s major political parties emerged to express support for the scheme though talks, it appears, failed to yield any real consequences. The future of the renewables sector thus remains uncertain despite the government’s increasing emphasis on sustainability. At the publication of STA’s proposed “£1 solar rescue rescue plan”, Leonie Greene, Head of External Affairs at the Solar Trade Association was keen to stress that the market was in “crisis” and that the plan was an “affordable solution”. The association suggested it would need £95m over the next three years to realise the scheme, a somewhat inflated figure compared with the government’s pledge of £7m. In view of the sector’s current struggles, STA’s warnings and failed bid for investment is a look at what could have, perhaps should have, been.

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