GARRIGILL NAMED BRITAIN’S SOLAR PANEL CAPITAL

A tiny village in Cumbria is laying claim to be Britain’s solar panel capital.

At least half a dozen residents out of just 200 in Garrigill have had panels installed – beating by days the Government’s controversial reduction in Feed-in-Tariff subsidies.

And other residents and potentially even the village hall are expected to go ahead with installations next year. All of the installations have been carried out by leading renewable energy company Eco Environments.

One villager, Fiona Gifford, who has had a 12-panel Sanyo system fitted, said: “A few of us had been talking about having solar panels installed for a while.

“As soon as the Government announced it was cutting the Feed-in-Tariff subsidies available, we decided we had better get a move on.

“By getting in ahead of December 12, when the reduction is due to come into force, the financial returns are extremely attractive. I expect my system to have paid for itself in about eight years. With electricity prices only set to go up, installing solar panels made total sense.

“Although we have been able to get our panels installed before the deadline, we believe the Government should have allowed a longer consultation period. The villagers felt so angry we wrote to our local MP Rory Stewart to protest.”

Other villagers who have gone ahead with installations are Tim Haldon and Jules Cadie, who have had 18-panel Sungrid systems installed, Paul Lincoln, an 18-panel Hyundai system, Laurie MacDonald, a 10-panel Hyundai array and Janette Thorley a 14-panel Sungrid system.

David Hunt, a director with Eco Environments, said: “For a village as small as Garrigill, the interest and uptake has been phenomenal. The village may even be Britain’s solar panel capital!

“We have worked round-the-clock to ensure that all of the current installations are up and running before December 12, but we are hopeful that as the word spreads, more of the villagers will want to install their own arrays next year.

“While the current subsidies are incredibly attractive, the post-December 12 tariff levels are still excellent especially when allied to the anticipated reduction in the cost of the panels.”

Eco Environments, which has its head office in Liverpool and regional offices across the UK, took three months’ orders in just two weeks following the news that the cuts would kick-in from December 12.

As of next week, the tariff for Solar PV schemes up to 4kW will be cut from 43.3/kWh to 21p/kWh.

Eco Environments is led by its three directors, Mike Clarke, David Hunt and Mark Buchanan, and employs 46 people compared to 11 at the same time last year. It is on course to increase turnover from £1.4million to £5million during the current financial year.

Eco Environments designs, installs and commissions renewable energy solutions for the domestic, commercial and construction sectors. It offers a comprehensive range of technologies including Solar Photovoltaic (PV), wind turbines, solar thermal and air source heat pumps. It is one of only a small number of companies to have successfully secured Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditations for all four of its specialist areas.

Apart from its new head office in Liverpool, Eco Environments has regional offices in Carlisle, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and North Wales. During the next few months, further offices will open in the south of England. Staff numbers will also rise to approximately 60 during the current financial year.

· www.eco-environments.co.uk

 

Reply to:

Reply to Lucy Mason

Reply to Lucy Mason

Send

WiseEnergy Africa awarded 500MW facilities management deal

WiseEnergy Africa awarded 500MW facilities management deal by ix:Africa fund

WiseEnergy Group now managing €2bn renewable energy assets worldwide

London – 7th December 2011: WiseEnergy Group, a leader in the complete management of renewable energy generation assets, with €2 billion under control, will manage up to 500MW of solar and wind power projects in South Africa on behalf of ix:Africa, a new impact investment fund seeking to raise €400m to dedicate to renewable energy projects in Africa.

Already present in the UK and Italy, the world’s largest market for solar energy, WiseEnergy will operate in Africa as WiseEnergy Africa. Its local team is already working with the ix:Africa fund and the South African Government to review the potential for major solar and wind projects in the country, ahead of the next round of government project auctions in March 2012.

WiseEnergy Africa offers investors seeking to enter the South African market a full suite of services, from project design and consent, to management of construction and operation of the plant.

"Africa is one of the most promising markets for the development of renewable energy projects and South Africa acts as a true gateway”’said Aldo Beolchini, Director at WiseEnergy. “Having expanded into the UK and South Africa, two attractive markets for renewable energy, we seek to replicate our success in the Italian market where we are the largest operator in the sector.”

“In emerging nations such as South Africa, there is an enormous appetite for energy and a requirement to double generation capacity in a very short space of time. Only renewable energy projects can meet this demand. Last year, Italy and Germany alone installed solar power equivalent to ten new nuclear power plants. Combined with high solar radiation and a willing Government, South Africa’s hunger for the swift development of new generation capacity makes it an attractive, low risk market for renewable energy investment.”

Earlier this year, WiseEnergy passed the milestone of managing €2bn of renewable energy assets worldwide, having taken on the management of its first solar energy development in the UK – a 2MW facility in Trevemper, Cornwall, owned by NextEnergy Capital and with an expansion capacity of up to 5MW.

WiseEnergy UK is now in talks to take on comprehensive management and operation responsibilities for a string of other utility-scale UK solar developments owned by third parties. Aldo Beolchini explains: “There are over twenty professional solar project owners in the City that have been impacted by changes to UK solar subsidy and policy. Similar to NextEnergy Capital, these investors had no choice but to complete the construction of their most advanced developments and shelve plans for a much bigger portfolio of UK assets.

“It no longer makes sense for these owners to invest in their own in-house asset management teams. The solution is outsourcing. We have brought WiseEnergy to the UK to fill this gap in the market. Asset management is a fundamental requirement in the solar sector, where people underestimate the potential for performance optimisation and the need to ensure professional technical management.

“There is a common misconception that PV stands for “Plain Vanilla” and that these assets can be left to operate on their own following grid connection; this is far from true and our experience demonstrates that with active management these plants can perform better than expected, with exponential impact on their financial returns. With over fifty years’ combined solar management experience, our team is well placed to offer the UK market the independent asset management it now clearly needs.”

About WiseEnergy:

WiseEnergy is a subsidiary of NextEnergy Capital, a London-based merchant bank focused on the renewable energy sector in Europe and South Africa.

In the field of private equity, NextEnergy Capital promotes, co-finances and manages funds whose objectives are to identify, acquire, realise and manage investment platforms in the renewable energy sector. These include power plants implementing different technologies (mainly photovoltaic, thermodynamic, biomass from algae and biofuel for aircrafts) in Europe, with the brand name NextPower.

NextEnergy Capital launched NextPower development, the largest development company in Italy, and WiseEnergy, the firstEuropean company specialised in solar asset management. In the field of Financial Advisory, NextEnergy Capital undertakes mandates involving M&A and capital market transactions for clients wishing to expand their presence in the renewable energy market. Over the past 18 months, NextEnergy Capital has arranged investments for €100m in the renewable market. www.nextenergycapital.com

www.oxfordprospect.co.uk

Reply to:

Reply to Oliver Williams

Reply to Oliver Williams

Send

Dragons’ Deborah and Theo commit to solar industry

Tomorrow afternoon there is going to be a big solar rally and lobbying of Parliament by the solar industry to demonstrate the sector's anger over the government's proposal to cut the all important Feed-in-Tariff by 50%. On 31 October the coalition announced that they plan to bring in this drastic cut which could damage the solar industry and discourage British homeowners from investing in solar panels on their home.

Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis from the Dragons’ Den have just signed the deal today to invest in a solar company. I know this in itself isn't necessarily worthy of an interview, but given the fact that the Dragons have decided to invest in the solar industry despite the current troubles shows that they believe there is a strong future for the solar sector. Chris Hopkins, the founder and MD of Ploughcroft Solar who appeared on the Dragons' Den is available for interviews tomorrow if you would be interested in getting a local solar firm's point of view on what is happening in London.

Chris Hopkins, the founder and MD of Ploughcroft Solar who appeared on the Dragons' Den is available for interviews tomorrow if you would be interested in getting a solar firm's point of view on what is happening in London. And we can also offer Deborah Meaden to give her views as to why solar remains a strong investment opportunity for the British consumer.

Dragons’ Deborah and Theo commit to solar industry

Dragons’ Den investors Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis have today shown their commitment to the distressed British solar sector by signing a deal with Yorkshire-based Ploughcroft Solar, one of the UK’s leading solar PV panel installers.

With a solar rally and lobby of Parliament planned for tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday 22 November), the solar industry and green organisations are up in arms over the government’s plans to halve the all important Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) which has encouraged tens of thousands of British homeowners to turn to solar.

Demonstrating that they believe there is still a bright future for solar in this country, Deborah and Theo have invested in Ploughcroft Solar as a result of MD Chris Hopkins’ pitch on the Dragons’ Den programme this summer.

Said Deborah: “In our lifetime, a switch towards renewable energy is not an option – it has to happen. Consumers need help to make the right choices as there are many conflicting messages being issued to the public. A review of the FIT is the right thing to do, although the scope, timing and conflicting messages have not been helpful.

“Although the government’s proposals to reduce the FIT from 43p/KWh to 21p/KWh are drastic, we believe that even if this new tariff is introduced solar is still an attractive option to homeowners. As energy bills continue to rise consumers will be looking for ways of lowering their energy costs and going green. With the 21p/KWh FIT solar photovoltaic (PV) panel homeowners will get a sensible return on their investment, as well as seeing lower electricity bills and helping the environment.

“Theo and I are both 100% committed to the growth and stability of Ploughcroft, which is leading by example within the solar industry. The government’s proposals haven’t scared us off and should not discourage the British public from investing in solar and other renewable energies. Our job is to make sure people still understand there is a good reason to commit to renewable energy, both financially and ethically. Once the government’s final decision on the new FIT has been made the solid, forward thinking renewable industry can continue to grow.”

Chris Hopkins, who has been at the forefront of the solar industry for six years and is also a member of the newly formed Green Construction Board for the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills added: “Since the government made its FIT reduction announcement on 31 October we have seen a 50% increase in enquiries compared with the previous month. We have already secured sales on systems that we will be installing in January and February 2012 on the new tariff. This indicates that homeowners remain keen to reduce their electricity bills whilst doing their bit to help the environment.”

The expertise of Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis will help Ploughcroft Solar expand into new areas of renewable energy throughout 2012, and support the company’s mission to become the name for renewable energy for homeowners across Britain.

Members of the public and businesses can email fits@decc.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 0300 068 5733 to register their comment on the proposed policies.

For further information visit www.ploughcroft.co.uk