Ahead of the closure of the UK’s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme on 1 April 2019, installers up and down the country rushed to fit and accredit new solar systems, Solar Power Portal reports. Figures for Q1 2019 reveal that almost 242.5MW of solar was installed in the three-month period, more than double the next highest [...]

Britain’s national grid will be ready to operate with zero carbon by 2025, its operating firm has announced in a new report. The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO), which is a legally separate business within the National Grid Group, says the switch to zero carbon will help address the threat of climate change, and [...]

On 1 April 2019, Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting, or SECR, is due to come into force. But what do businesses need to know about the government’s new framework? SECR is one of a number of policies falling under the government’s Clean Growth Strategy and aims to help businesses and industry boost energy productivity by [...]

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is campaigning for changes to existing regulation which it says will “unlock billions of pounds of investment for innovative, greener projects”. The legislation in question is Solvency II, which states that insurers must hold a certain level of capital to prevent insolvency. The association, which represents more than 250 [...]

The lightbulb moment Maxwell compares the change in attitude to low-carbon energy to the use of LED lighting. In 2012, fewer than 2% of lights around the world were energy efficient; this year is likely to see the figure pass the 50% boundary. Maxwell says: “There is a very substantial opportunity. Carbon is a key [...]

Renewable energy will displace coal as the world’s top source of power by 2040, according to a new report by BP. Wind, solar and other renewables currently accounts for about 10% of the world’s electricity supplies, the UK-based oil company estimates. To put that into perspective, oil took almost 45 years to go from 1% [...]

NextEnergy Capital PPA partnership We have signed an innovative Framework Agreement with NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF), the UK’s largest listed solar fund, to install commercial solar across the UK using Zestec’s proprietary Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model. Commercial landlords will pay a reduced tariff compared to their grid rate for electricity produced by the solar [...]

Schools in England will soon be able to do as households do and shop around for the best deal on their gas and electricity, after the government unveiled a new price comparison website especially for them. State-funded schools in England spent more than £584m on gas and electricity, as per figures from 2016/17. The average [...]

This year sees several changes to energy taxes and regulations. Is your business ready? From 1st April 2019, the Climate Change Levy (CCL) which is applied to business use of electricity, gas and solid fuel is increasing significantly. CCL rates are set to rise by 67% on natural gas (from 0.203 pence per KWh to [...]

Major retailers in the UK are going all-in on cleantech, with Tesco the latest firm to commit to solar power, after plans to install PV panels on its superstores across the country were revealed. Solar Power Portal, the publication that made the discovery, reports that Tesco superstores in Nottingham, Lewisham, Sheerness, Martlesham and Yeovil have [...]