Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker last week presented to Parliament the same subsidy cut proposal to take effect from March 3 instead, which would solve the timing issue raised in court.

“Win, lose or draw today, important we move forward together, drive down costs and step up deployment,” Barker tweeted on Wednesday.

Unless the government decides to appeal again and succeeds in overturning the ruling, solar panel installers will see subsidies halved to 21 pence per kilowatt-hour from March 3 instead of December 12 for installations smaller than 4 kilowatts (kW)

The uptake has been much greater than anticipated, and in an effort to prevent state funds earmarked for renewable energy to run out early, the government proposed last October to drastically reduce the FIT rates.

Forget the Sahara. Is Cornwall the new solar power capital? A solar goldrush may be just about to emerge as the Cornwall Council has issued a Public Tender Notice for a series of solar power plant plans. The Council says it has posted this notice to advertise its intention to establish a framework agreement for contractors to be appointed for the design, build, operation and maintenance of solar energy generation projects located within the UK regions of Cornwall, Plymouth and Devon.

The general scope of works will involve the design and construction of the entire solar energy generation system, including the associated works to ensure it is connected to the electricity grid and/or any consumer connections. The works will also include the operation and maintenance of the solar energy generation projects to ensure they are kept in working order and maintain their expected energy generation outputs.

The type and range of projects intended to be procured under this framework agreement will range from large-scale solar parks to smaller scale commercial and or domestic installations. The projects called-off under this framework will vary in terms of their electricity generation outputs from an estimated 0.01MW to 5MW.

The first project, named the Kernow Solar Park, to be procured under the Framework will be a ground-based photovoltaic installation, located within close proximity to Newquay Airport in Cornwall, capable of achieving a maximum 5MW output.

Full details of the solar energy generation projects framework agreement will be disseminated to the shortlisted tenderers as part of the Invitation to Tender stage.

In mid-November, Cornwall Council leader Alec Robertson wrote to Energy Minister, Greg Barker to reaffirm the area’s commitment to renewable energy generation. The letter describes the potential problems which could be caused by cutting the feed-in tariffs and also outlines the council’s argument for large-scale solar.

“As part of our ambitious and innovative approach to renewable energy we have developed separate and specific teams responsible for our regulatory function and the facilitation of Cornwall’s green ambitions,” said Robertson.

“It is the council’s belief that the development of ground-based solar PV will provide substantial opportunities to drive the market price down for PV in the UK.”

Starting in early 2011, the plant will have an annual production capacity of approximately 75 000 solar receivers. In a second step the plant’s capacity is to be increased to 140 000 per year.

“With the increase of our shares in Archimede we are further strengthening our cooperation with Angelantoni Industries,” said René Umlauft, CEO of the Siemens’ Renewable Energy Division. “Siemens already has the most comprehensive portfolio in the promising concentrated solar power business.

“We can provide about 70 percent of the components of a solar thermal power plant from a single source. If required, we can even supply complete solutions. The solar receivers of Archimede Solar Energy use molten salt as the heat transfer medium. This is a very promising technological option for solar thermal power plants and an ideal addition to our existing portfolio.”

A first commercial plant is currently under construction in Sicily. The Priolo Gargallo project will use 1500 solar receivers with molten salt as the heat transfer medium and is expected to go operational in summer 2010. The use of molten salt in the receivers can significantly increase the efficiency of solar thermal power plants.This share increase is part of Siemens’ strategy to successively expand its portfolio in the growth market for solar thermal energy. Siemens has long been supplying vital components for solar thermal power plants in the form of steam turbines, electrical and I&C systems and cooling systems.

With the highly-promising molten-salt receiver technology from Archimede Solar, and the proven thermal-oil-based receiver technology from Siemens Concentrated Solar Power Ltd. (formerly Solel Solar Systems), Siemens is now a supplier of a complete range of products for the solar thermal power industry.
“We intend to expand upon the success we now enjoy with our wind energy business to take in the solar power market and become the leading provider of solar thermal power plants. This is why we offer our customers on this market key technologies from a single source,” explains René Umlauft. Siemens estimates that the solar thermal power plant market will experience double digit annual growth up to 2015, reaching a volume of more than EUR10bn ($12.3bn).

As the Government introduces Feed in Tariffs (FITS) - designed to give cash payments to green energy users in the UK - wind turbine installers say they cannot meet impossible performance deadlines.

Currently microgeneration installers are signed up to a transitional Government-supported list in order to get turbines quality marked. This list aims to protect consumers who buy into green technology and gives wind turbine installers time to gain appropriate certification.
Without certification, owners of wind turbines will not be eligible for the Government tariff known as FITS.

Introduced on April 1, the scheme will help to combat the threat of global warming and depletion of North Sea oil.
Payments of up to 41.3p per kilowatt-hour will be given to installers of solar, wind and hydropower. There are also savings on electricity bills and extra cash when surplus energy is exported back into the national grid.

Paul Young of Coemi, who installs Skywing turbines, believes installers face a near-impossible task to meet rigorous standards within the time scales but without vital Government back up. Somerset-based Paul explained: “I support the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) because it provides a quality mark but along with robust standards we need a better organised certification process or face disaster.

“Coemi spent three months getting on the transitional list but I have heard from good sources that there is going to be a purge because we have to meet safety and performance tests within an impossibly short time space.
“This could demolish the wind turbine industry in the UK as there is only one place in Scotland set to deal with around 90 installers.

“Each model requires six months’ testing and costs around £30,000 per turbine yet there are just eight test pads to carry out that certification. “If my models aren’t certified my customers will not get Government FITS so how does this help renewable energy in the UK? Our Skywing turbines have been rigorously tested and are the very best on the market and guaranteed for five years by which time they are likely to have made money back for clients. The Government says it wants renewables then why is it putting bureaucracy before green energy?”

Brendan McGarry is a spokesman for the independent Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which operates the transitional list with support from the Department of Energy and Climate Change. He said: “This scheme is industry-led to set quality standards and to protect the consumer. I don’t accept a purge is going to be carried out.”

Department of Energy and Climate Change spokeswoman Helen MacBain, said: “We cannot confirm the numbers who are going to come off the transitional list before it’s made public.”

Andreas J. Goss, Siemens’ chief executive in the UK, said: “The UK government has created a stable framework to attract inward investment in renewables and offshore wind power in particular. The competition for land development, announced in the Budget last week, gives us confidence that the appropriate UK port infrastructure can be made available to support our production plans. ”

“The new Siemens wind turbine factory will create around 700 new local jobs once it is in production, as well as additional indirect jobs in the supply chain. With the anticipated growth in the renewables market, there is potential for expansion of the facility in the future. This £80m investment plus additional investment in our UK infrastructure for renewables will provide a much-needed economic boost for the region, as well as driving growth in the UK’s innovative wind power industry,” said Goss.

Siemens is currently exploring a number of sites on the East Coast and in the North East and will make its decision about the exact location when the competition process for land development is complete. The company is working closely with the Regional Development Agencies and its partners to find the optimum site.

Siemens is already investing in renewable skills development and research and development in renewable energy in the UK. The company has established a new Energy Sector training centre in Newcastle and has located its global Centre of Competence for offshore grid connections in Manchester. Siemens has also established R&D Centres of Excellence for wind power at Keele and Sheffield Universities. The new manufacturing facility will produce the next generation of turbines for offshore application and will draw on R&D provided by its dedicated Centres of Excellence for wind power in the UK.

According to Siemens, more than 40% of the electricity from wind power in the UK is provided using Siemens Wind Power technology.

“This proof that the solar industry can achieve the manufacturing scale necessary to fight climate change is especially timely in light of the Copenhagen conference that began last week,” said Bruce Sohn, First Solar president. “Our efforts in scaling our technology are critical to creating a more sustainable energy infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

There are just 8,000 of these pumps in the UK, but the agency believes 1.2 million could be installed to heat 11 per cent of homes and 40 per cent of commercial buildings if the government introduces support for them.

The renewable heat incentive, which will be in place in April 2011, legislates to give financial assistance to those who generate their own renewable heat. This will be a major factor in determining the success of ground source heat pumps, the report states.

At the moment just 0.6 per cent of all heat is generated from renewable heat sources. This will have to rise to 12 per cent in order for Britain to meet its binding EU targets by 2020.

Tony Grayling, head of climate change and sustainable development at the Environment Agency, said: “Ground source heating is a rapidly growing technology that has the potential to produce at least 30 per cent of the country’s renewable heat needs, but it needs financial support in order to grow.

“We have ambitious emissions reduction targets in the UK, and the Environment Agency would like to see rapid growth of all low carbon energy technologies to help meet these. Any delays in reducing emissions will lead to more severe impacts of climate change.”

The heat pumps are not carbon neutral as they require electricity to run, but can generate up to four times the amount of energy they use.

They have become popular in London where they are used to power large developments to meet the Merton Rule: a sustainable energy policy to reduce carbon emissions by using onsite renewable energy generation.

Ground source heat technology is commonplace in Sweden as it uses energy stored in the ground, but Britain’s electricity distribution network would need upgrading to facilitate the installation of larger heat pumps if the government was to commit to the technology.