SUN RUSH IN UK

Subsidies deadline drives UK solar power boom; Solar power capacity has risen more than 18-fold since last year as homeowners and businesses rush to take advantage of feed-in tariffs
Fiona Harvey, 28 July 2011 (UK Guardian)

"…Britain has experienced a sunshine boom - solar power capacity has risen by more than 18-fold since last year as homeowners and businesses rush to take advantage of subsidies…From April to June this year, nearly 34 megawatts (MW) of new solar generating capacity was added to the UK grid - the biggest amount ever in a single quarter, bringing the UK's total capacity to nearly 122MW… more than 14,500 new installations in the last quarter alone, compared with the UK's total capacity of only 2,700 solar panel systems in use by the end of March 2010….

"The government's new feed-in tariffs (Fits) have fueled the boom, making photovoltaic panels an attractive investment as owners receive a steady income stream for the power they produce…However, the boom is in danger of faltering in the coming months as changes to the feed-in tariffs begin to bite…"

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"Solar experts say that developers hoping to build larger installations have rushed to install their systems before the cut-off date…Installers have had to speed up…Some companies have managed to gain a temporary reprieve [through a loophole]…The deadline has also spurred the development of medium-sized projects - bigger than house roofs but less than the cut-off point…

"Moreover, feed-in tariffs are not the only factor driving the UK's boom - the price of solar panels has plummeted, making the investment more attractive, and installations costs are also down. HSBC calculates that the cost of solar cells - the key component in panels - has fallen by about 70% since September 2008…This downward trend could mean that the high rates of solar panel installation of the last few months continue well beyond the mini-boom created by the changes to the Fit…"