Railpen, formerly known as RPMI, runs the railways’ pensions schemes on behalf of its parent, the Railways Pension Trustee Company Limited. It manages £34 billion of assets on behalf of over 350,000 members.

Its investment will support AGR in achieving its target of putting over 500MW of high quality renewable assets into operation by 2029.

Railpen has committed to invest in AGR’s near-term UK solar, battery energy storage system (BESS), and greenhouse projects.    Its backing will enable construction before 2026 of 160MWp of solar arrays, of 150MW in BESS, as well as AGR’s second sustainable greenhouse.

London-based AGR was co-founded in 2011 by Oliver Breidt.

Besides bringing forward onshore wind projects in the UK and northern Ireland under the Feed-in Tariff, plus solar farms across southern England & Ireland, it is known for one of Britain’s biggest and most technologically advanced greenhouses, the Fenland Greenhouse near Ely, Cambridgeshire, pictured above.

The project spans 22 hectares and produces over 2.5 million vegetables every week at peak output. The complex is powered through a combination of water-sourced heat pumps and CHP gas engines, coupled with a back-up boiler. Fenland I greenhouse spans 60Ha and produces over 2.5 million cucumbers per week. The project was initiated in 2021 as a standalone greenfield development and delivered to Greencoat Capital, part of Schroder’s Capital, in 2022.

For Railpen, its AGR investment reflects its commitment to investing in infrastructure, including directing £500m to UK energy projects since 2019. The company will be represented on the AGR board by Lewis Vanstone and Cristiana Dochioiu. AGR’s co-founder Oliver Breidt will remain as group director.

Breidt said: “I’m incredibly pleased to announce our partnership with Railpen in what is a landmark move for us. Railpen’s investment and reputation will help propel AGR into new territories and technologies, including our 1GW pipeline in Italy, and see us expanding our presence in Germany and into further agricultural assets.

“I’m very pleased to be working with Lewis and Cristiana who bring with them a wealth of experience. This will be a transformative chapter for AGR and our mission.”

Dochioiu, investment manager at Railpen added: “AGR’s approach to sustainable infrastructure development and investment matches Railpen’s ethos for sustainability and providing essential infrastructure to the UK.

“We are excited to work with the AGR team and Oliver to further develop the pipeline at AGR and drive positive change through our investment portfolio, building the critical infrastructure needed to support the UK’s transition to net zero. Railpen’s scale and long-term approach makes us an ideal partner for AGR’s ambitions to enhance energy and food security in the UK and Europe.”

Railpen were advised by parties including CMS for legal services, Grant Thornton on financial and tax and Willis Towers Watson on insurance. AGR were advised by lawyers Eversheds Sutherland.

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The new tariff, Empower Exclusive, is designed to spur yet more uptake of Britain’s estimated 1.2 million homes fitted with solar PV arrays.

Exclusively available to new customers who install a panels-plus battery bundle through EDF’s in-house installer, Contact Solar, the Empower Exclusive tariff is promoted as saving a standard home more than £800 per year against EdF’s standard variable tariff.

EdF is also offering £500 off a new panels-plus-battery installation to the promotion’s first 500 customers, and without any deposit before installation.

EdF bought Chorley-based Contact Solar earlier this year and has integrated it into its operations.  The supplier says more price & package deals related to home solar are in the offing.

This first deal helps customers charge their batteries overnight, providing three hours of discounted, zero carbon electricity for three hours starting at 1:00am.  By charging the battery more cheaply overnight, the discount helps householders reduce their reliance on external supply during peak hours.

With systems available for on average £8,500 for a typical 3-bedroom house, Contact Solar’s package offer includes 10 panels, a 5kW hybrid inverter and 5.32kWh battery, all installation and scaffolding costs, a 10-year battery and inverter warranty, a 25-year panel warranty, virtual and technical survey costs, and access to a system monitoring and performance app.

All combinations of solar and battery installs will also benefit from 0% VAT.

Tom Taylor, director at Contact Solar, said: “We’re delighted to now be a fully integrated part of EdF, bringing exceptional new benefits to customers such as this new exclusive energy bundle.

Philippe Commaret, EdF’s managing director of customers, added: “We know more and more people are looking for ways to save cash and carbon, which is why we’re pleased to bring this unique solar product bundle to the market.

To check eligibility for the tariff, click here: Tariff Eligibility Criteria | EDF (EdFenergy.com)

For more information or to sign up to the Empower Exclusive tariff, click here: https://www.EdFenergy.com/solar#empower

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Included in its electoral demands issued today, trade body SolarEnergyUK says a new administration should establish and share its roadmap for solar generation within 100 days of taking office.

Britain needs in short a government that fully embraces solar “so we can reap the benefits for our economy, people and environment”, in the words of chief  executive Chris Hewett, pictured.

Rescued from limbo, the body believes, must be 15 months of detailed output from an industry-government Solar Taskforce, convened in spring 2023.  With an initial brief to speed more arrays on commercial roofs, the taskforce’s remit quickly expanded to cover detailed work in areas such as developing solar’s UK supply chain & better trade skills.

Confusion was thrown on the Taskforce’s work first by the resignation of energy minister Graham Stuart in April, then by Sunak’s surprise election call last month.

As next year dawns,  the UK will have about 20GW of solar generation capacity in place, supplemented by 8GW of big batteries.  By 2030, Britain needs 50GW of solar , plus 30GW of zero-carbon energy storage, the lobbying group believes.

Those numbers are in line both with the Sunak administration’s target of 70GW of generating PV arrays  by 2035 and the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendation of 60GW of short-term flex by 2035.

According to SolarEnergyUK’s manifesto, steps to deliver them must include ;

Embracing UK solar

Private investors including from overseas are willing to fund  UK solar and storage at all scales, the group believes. But deterrents persist, which only government leadership can remove.

Resolving Britain’s inconsistent planning regime is among them, as is joined-up thinking on too-fragmented current relationships between energy security, food security and restoring nature.

“We do not have to choose one over the other,” says the manifesto.

Consistency in planning decisions is also key.   Officials Failing to respect established national policy has led to more refusals for solar being overturned more than any other kind of development, wasting private and public money, and needlessly extending the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Rooftop solar power is hugely popular, the PV advocates claim. Over 1.5m small  solar installations sit on homes, businesses and community buildings, almost half of them installed after the end of subsidies in 2019.

But poor households, and community activists investing in solar on local public buildings & schools look to be missing out at present, says SEUK.

Building standards need urgent overhaul, and peer-to-peer energy trading must be enabled to allow schools, community projects and businesses to buy and sell power locally.

Congested distribution & transmission networks mean solar farms are built quickly but languish for far longer as they wait for a grid connection. The effect is to delay ground-mounted and roof-mounted commercial arrays, as well as grid-facing batteries.  Without radical improvements, Net Zero by 2035 could be in danger, the blueprint warns.

Ofgem must solving this problem by improving service from grid operators, including by compelling them to release data on local usage and upgrades.

The skills needed for British green jobs is another topic requiring immediate attention by  D-ESNZ chiefs.

Renewables is the engine for a decade-long jobs boom.   But the route to a just transition which retrains workers mid-career or brings on school-leavers is not as clear as it should be

Incoming ministers should work with solar practitioners, says SEUK,  setting up with a chain of regional training centres to promote career opportunities.

While it’s probably not economic to make solar arrays in Britain, SolarEnergyUK says there’s a case for Whitehall to foster manufacturing of switchgear, cabling, batteries and mounting systems.

On inward investment, the manifesto warns Britain must not fall in attractiveness behind the EU, US, China, India and other emerging supplier nations. Ensuring that solar and energy storage has a level playing field with other energy technologies overseas is essential, says the document.

Effective incentives must exist to spur new solar installation at utility scale, it goes on. Over 11GW of solar capacity is approved and awaiting construction. But the Allocation Round 6 of the Contracts for Difference reverse auctions will see less than 2GW of that total built, putting targets at risk.

The next government should also ensure that the Electricity Generator Levy, the Capacity Market, Balancing Mechanisms and the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) attracts investment in clean energy, with storage and flexibility to provide backup.

Read SolarEnergyUK’s manifesto here.

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The Scottish government’s eagerly anticipated overhaul of permitted development rights (PDRs) for rooftop solar has now officially come into force.  Previously there was a 50kWp upper limit for permitted rights for rooftop solar on homes and some non-domestic buildings, above which full planning permission was required.

The changes will have a really significant benefit for business and commercial rooftops to help reduce energy costs. This move follows the removal of non-domestic rates for rooftop solar in last year’s budget, which industry also campaigned for. Both these changes will eliminate considerable barriers to rooftop installations.

Thomas McMillan, chair of Solar Energy Scotland, welcomed the announcement: “Simplifying the planning process for rooftop solar will make a substantial difference to Scotland delivering 6 gigawatts of solar by 2030.

“With energy costs continuing to be stubbornly high, solar remains one of the most effective ways of reducing the charges of running residential and commercial buildings: this change by the Scottish Government makes the process of installing solar quicker and easier and is warmly welcomed.”

Flat roof systems can also be installed under permitted development, provided they do not protrude more than one metre from the roof surface.

Even solar in conservation areas can be permitted development under certain circumstances, such as not being on primary elevations or fronting roads. Only World Heritage sites and listed buildings are exempt from the new changes.

Solar Energy Scotland has long advocated this change. The new rules remove costly, time-consuming red tape which will speed up the deployment of solar panels on rooftops and help Scotland achieve its climate and solar deployment targets, as well as enabling easier access to cheaper energy for consumers and businesses.

Only Northern Ireland now retains an upper system limit on permitted planning guidelines.  The three other home nations continue with differences based on the type of building affected, however.

Other changes to the solar landscape include free-standing solar panels permitted within the curtilage of non-domestic buildings, covering areas of up to 12 square metres, and restrictions relaxed for PV canopies.

Solar installers & suppliers are eager for continued dialogue with Holyrood officials on whether the curtilage limit could be extended in future.

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As Britain’s greenest university, Manchester is top-ranked in the UK and third in the world for its benchmarks achieved against the independent 2024 QS World University Sustainability Rankings.   All its degree programmes are certified against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“She’s electric. Can I be electric, too?”

Now all its buildings and institutes – including part of the world-ranking Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the Alliance Business School, the John Rylands Library and the Schuster physics labs where the Nobel-prize winning material graphene was developed by UK-citizens Professors Andre Geim & Kostya Novoselov in 2004 – will from autumn 2025 be powered by clean electricity made from Essex’s light.

Famously rainy Manchester’s biggest university has signed a deal with PV park developers Environmena, to buy four-fifths of the 58GWh output of the developers’ approved solar farm at Medebridge, close to South Ockendon and the Thames.

Expected to generate first late next year, the Medebridge project’s 104,000 solar panels will cover 175 acres of low-grade agricultural land – around 70 football pitches’ worth – next to a landfill site. At just over 46GWh every year, the Essex farm’s low carbon current will meet 65 per cent of the University’s power needs.

Enviromena says Medebridge will deliver greater biodiversity to Essex’s estuary edgelands. Preserved native grasses and wildflower meadows will surround the panels’ racks, encouraging nesting sites & rearing of wildlife, including bugs at the bottom of food chains.

“All I need is the air that I breathe”

Off-taking most of the farm’s clean power for a committed decade will speed Manchester University on its journey to intended carbon neutrality by 2038.  In 2022 the uni voted to terminate its investments in coal, oil and gas, and to reduce the carbon intensity of its other endowments by 37%.

Professor of climate and energy policy Carly McLachlan, the university’s academic lead for carbon, observed: “The important thing for us in developing this relationship (with Enviromena) was that our commitment would add new renewable energy capacity to the UK electricity system. Through our long-term purchasing commitment, we have played a key role in bringing this development forward – maximising the positive impact of our purchasing power.”

Baggy, not boggy. Still “mad for it…”

Finance manager Lee Barlow, the university’s lead on the Essex-sourced deal, added: “After nearly three years of rigorous procurement negotiations, we are proud to announce this landmark agreement, which (delivers) price certainty and supply stability.

“Securing this 10-year corporate PPA despite such adversity is a huge accomplishment and holds special significance as we celebrate the University’s bicentennial year.”

Enviromena’s chief commercial officer Lee Adams responded: “This significant partnership with the University of Manchester demonstrates the shared commitment of an influential, large-scale organisation, which, at the time it celebrates its 200-year anniversary, is taking steps towards reducing its carbon footprint through the technologies of tomorrow”

Founded in Britain by Sami Khoreibi in 2007, Enviromena is privately owned by investors Arjun Infrastructure Partners.

The developer currently manages over 300MW of renewables projects, including in the UAE, Egypt & Jordan. In the UK and Italy alone it is bringing forward elements in a 3GW-plus pipeline of green energy projects.

Straight outta Purfleet, twisting my melons

For investors Arjun Infrastructure, head of ESG Rhyadd Keaney-Watkins commented: “For Arjun and our investors, this deal between Manchester University and Enviromena is an exciting example of the positive real-world outcomes which infrastructure can deliver.

“With a fivefold increase in the UK’s solar generation capacity needed by 2035, and with more and more institutions following Manchester University’s leadership in decarbonising operations, there is an important role for developers such as Enviromena to deliver the ‘green electrons’ needed as part of net zero and the energy transition.”

Interest declared: the author was educated in south Essex and in Manchester

The post “Soundddddd, our kid!” Manchester Uni sorts itself for PV & watts…from Essex appeared first on theenergyst.com.

Reading-based Enviromena is developing and constructs renewable energy projects in the UK and Italy. Across Britain alone, by next year it intends its portfolio to exceed 500 MW.

The firm prides itself on recruiting staff from outside the renewables sector, offering opportunities for people to diversify their skills.

Now the company is launching an apprenticeship programme which it hopes will attract a new wave of talent keen to get involved in an exciting and emerging sector.

First up is a role within the developer’s finance department.  It will combine on-the-job training at Enviromena’s head office in Grazeley, Reading, offering study to secure a Level 3 AAT Accountancy Diploma. Tuition will be delivered by accountancy training provider First Intuition in Reading.

“This is a great opportunity for a hard-working problem solver who is interested in business and finance to start a rewarding career in accountancy” said James Armitage, the firm’s financial controller.

“Enviromena is growing rapidly and this is a very exciting time to join the renewables industry. The successful candidate will study for a professional qualification while gaining hands-on work experience in our fast-paced business.”

The firm’s senior finance officials will support the apprentice’s development, in a role offering exposure to a wide range of areas within the finance function.

The apprenticeship is expected to last 18 months. Enviromena offers competitive pay, 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays.  On achieving AAT Level 3, the right candidate would be supported with AAT Level 4 study.

Applicants will need a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including Maths and English, and preferably three A-Levels at grades A to C. Good team players, they should have strong written and verbal communication skills, great attention to detail and be highly motivated.

“With students completing their exams soon and thinking of their next move, I’d highly recommend this opportunity to anyone looking to build a career in finance. There has never been a better time to join the clean energy industry and be part of its incredible growth trajectory,” said James.

A full job description is here. Applicants are invited to email their CV and a few details about why they would like to work with Enviromena.   Email those documents to ukfinance@Enviromena.com.   The closing date is 30 June 2024.

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Now approved by East Suffolk Council, Park Farm solar park will generate up to 21MWp, the notional equivalent of the power needs of just over 5,000 family homes, and displace 4,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

In January, the same authority green-lit the nearby Town Farm Solar project, with a similar generating capacity.

Together the projects will generate enough renewable energy to meet the electrical needs of over 10,000 family homes, while helping East Suffolk Council tackle its declared Climate Emergency.

Both projects include a series of ecological enhancements, such as species-rich grassland, re-planted native hedgerow, and the creation of meadow grassland beneath and between the solar panels.

Over its 29 hectares, the Town Farm development will deliver a 178% net gain in nesting units and a 52% net gain in hedgerows. Park Farm Solar Park also boasts a 106% net gain in habitat units for wildlife and a 116% net gain in hedgerow units.

British Solar Renewables is the UK’s largest privately-owned, integrated solar developer, with more than 700MW of solar PV delivered.

Its 57 UK projects include two in Wiltshire with aviation connections; the 250-acre Bradenstoke park on the old RAF Lyneham airbase,  and the Swindon Solar Park, built on the old RAF Wroughton air yard and military hospital. At just under 70W, Bradenstoke was then Britain’s biggest solar farm when completed in the early 20teens.

The developer also has projects in Australia and the Netherlands.

East Suffolk is among councils to have declared a climate emergency in recognition of the need for urgent action to combat climate change.  The develolers contend that the two solar parks will play an important part in meeting the authority’s climate action framework.   BSR has established a community benefit fund, assisting parish councils with funds from both projects.

Carla Hardaker, the firm’s development director, said:  “These two projects exemplify our commitment to leading the charge towards a greener future.

“We are proud to pioneer a new era of responsible renewable energy development—one that not only generates clean electricity but also enriches the local ecosystem througbh ecological enhancements”.

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The only significant new step announced by the energy security secretary today, according to the lobbyists, concerns perceptions of accuracy in ranking the soil quality on agricultural land housing new racks of panels.

The government intends to strengthen such perceptions by means of more independent certification in land assessments sent by developers to planning authorities.  This measure is intended to help avoid disputes over which areas are subject to planning guidelines on higher quality agricultural land.

“Both Coutinho and the Prime Minister’s broader comments on food security appear to be directed at a small minority of anti-solar Conservative backbenchers, rather than decision-makers in local councils”, said Solar Energy UK in a statement released this afternoon.

“Solar farms take up a tiny fraction of the country. That will still be the case in 2035 when the government expects us to have four times current solar generation capacity”, said the industry body, citing the government’s April 2022 Energy Security Strategy, and a Carbon Brief evaluation later that year on solar farms’ impact on UK farmland.

“Solar farms are no threat to food security; they never have been and never will be. In fact, it’s the opposite,” said Solar Energy UK’s ‘roi soleil’, chief executive Chris Hewett.

“According to Defra, the main threat to food security is climate change, which is what solar farms are there to fight.”

“Without solar farms, hundreds of traditional farming businesses would have gone to the wall, unable to produce food without the security of a reliable income,” Hewett added.

Yesterday the government published the first release of Britain’s new official Food Security Index. The cost of energy to food producers was among key factors it identifies.

By the government’s own figures, the lobbyists claim, solar farms are the cheapest source of electricity, adding to their contribution to food security, to decarbonisation and thus to Britain’s broader national interests.

Advocates for solar farms say it is common for agriculture to continue in fields once panels are hooked up, typically through sheep grazing. Racks erected a metre and more above the soil also offer benefits to nature, such as providing shelter for wildlife and native flora, thus restoring natural habitats among intensively farmed ‘green deserts’.

Solar farms are demonstrably liked by their human neighbours, as consistently evidenced in Whitehall’s own surveys. Independent research in November by analysis firm Climate Barometer found that MPs & casual readers of newspapers vastly overestimate public opposition to farms’ introduction.

“The solar industry will continue to follow established principles”, the lobbyists’ statement went on. “(The industry) looks forward to the publication of the government-industry Solar Roadmap, which will light the way towards adding more than 50GW of solar capacity over the next decade”. The master plan is expected in coming weeks.

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Currently headquartered in Billericay, Xlinks intends by 2029 to be importing into north Devon the first renewable energy from solar and wind farms in southern Morocco.

Once completed, Xlinks’ clean generation combined with battery storage is expected to supply 3.6GW of affordable, reliable power, meeting approximately 8% of Britain’s current electricity needs.

Its generation and batteries will be connected exclusively to Britain via twin 3,800km HVDC sub-sea cables.  Scotland’s government last year pledged £9 million to re-purpose Hunterston B, the defunct Ayrshire nuclear power station, as a factory making the cables.

Working to its mission “The Energy to Change the World”, Massachusetts-based GE Vernova Financial Services is GE’s recently formed investment division for energy projects.

It joins Octopus Energy as well as Octopus founder Greg Jackson, as investors in Xlinks. Other stakes include £25 million from Abu Dhabi’s national utilities managers TAQA, and participation by TotalEnergies.

GE Vernova was set up in 2022, following General Electric  announcing the previous November its intention to split into three publicly traded companies. The following year, GE named them as GE Vernova, GE HealthCare and GE Aerospace.

It has deployed what it calls “sizeable capital” into projects worldwide through development financing, direct equity investments, and capital raising from private & public financial institutions.

Scenarios constructed by Britain’s independent Climate Change Committee see UK electricity demand as potentially doubling by 2050, to 600 terawatt-hours. Against that background Britain’s government has acknowledged Xlinks’ potential.  D-ESNZ are developing an outline business case.

James Humfrey, CEO of Xlinks First, the megaproject’s financing arm, said: “Bringing in an investor of the calibre of GE Vernova represents a further strategic step in the Morocco–to-UK power project’s development, as we progress the project across several fronts.

“Xlinks is committed to meeting the UK’s need for reliable, affordable, zero-carbon energy while maximising the socio-economic benefits of the project in Morocco.”

For GE Vernova Financial Services, CEO Nomi Ahmad answered: “We are pleased to be part of the Morocco – UK Power Project, as collaboration across the energy sector is key to ensuring that more affordable, renewable energy is delivered to help meet the UK’s electrification demands and help the nation meet its net zero goals.”

INTEREST DECLARED: The author was educated close to Billericay.

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Running for 15 years, today’s deal will see the Co-op taking all the output from the dedicated 9MW site, pictured, near Wisbech.

Peak output from Coldham’s 19,000 panels will be enough, the Co-op calculates, to power 55 of its food stores, a demand equalling that from 2,000 homes.

Chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq said; “The launch of Coldham solar farm, as a result of our PPA with ScottishPower Renewables, shows Co-op’s commitment to achieving Net Zero in our own operations by 2035.

“Co-op maintains that the government should make decarbonising the grid a top priority”, Khoury-Haq went on. “

“However, businesses still have their part to play, and this solar farm is a further step in Co-op’s approach to renewable energy procurement through a mixture of PPAs and embedded generation.”

ScottishPower Renewables boss Charlie Jordan responded: “We’re delighted to partner with companies that understand the importance of decarbonising their operations.

“By securing long-term commitments, PPAs provide stability, certainty, and ultimately accelerate our journey towards a greener, more resilient energy landscape.”

Enriched with 7,500 native trees planted by SPR, the Coldham solar farm sits next to SPR’s existing windfarm, and benefits from the same grid connection.

The Co-op recently signed of a 15-year CPPA to offtake from a 34MW solar farm in north Yorkshire, Its arrays are due to come fully onstream next year.

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The power distributor is pledging up to £2.7 million until 2029 to help schools in poor areas reach Net Zero goals. Schools in its DNO catchments of south Wales, England’s south west and the Midlands are eligible.

Working with outreach body Solar for Schools, the £2.7 million commitment forms part of NG’s Social Contract, which aims to add value to the environment and to the lives of communities and workers.

Ellie Patey, the DNO’s community engagement manager manages the money. She said: “This new fund aims to help more schools adopt solar power to decarbonise and to reduce energy costs. It’s also an important way to engage pupils in ways to reduce carbon and emissions”.

Two Birmingham colleges have already benefitted.  The Ark Victoria Academy and Ark Kings Academy have had solar systems installed, saving £3,500 in a single month. Over the lifetime of the PV panels, savings are forecast to be more than £1.2 million.

The systems are expected to save more than 1,153 tonnes of CO₂ over their lifetime, the same benefit as removing 260 fossil-fuelled cars off the road for a year.  Savings will be channelled back into the schools’ budgets or vital infrastructure.

Educational pluses from the project have already seen 2,000 students at both colleges  take part in workshops & themed assemblies. They have built up a store of STEM-related resources, covering energy, efficiency, sustainability and economics.

“Our education programme links the solar on the roof with the curriculum in the classroom”, declared Ann Flaherty, director at Solar for Schools.  “Learn from your school buildings, not just inside them, is what we say”.

“By getting solar on the roofs, we’re helping students to see they can do something locally to reduce carbon.  That helps meet national targets, and helps globally to reduce emissions.”

Ark Schools’ property head Bryan Knope oversees the foundation’s 39 academies, many in inner cities.  He enthused: “We’re delighted to receive National Grid’s funding and install solar PV at our schools in Birmingham, London and Hastings.

“Reducing CO₂ emissions is a top priority for Ark”, Knope added. “We’ve set ourselves a tough target to cut consumption by 20% this year.  Solar for Schools’ live energy-savings dashboard helps provide a detailed picture of consumption”.

National Grid’s £2.7 million is targeted to spur independent investors to raise an intended £10 million, securing more PV arrays on roofs of schools otherwise too poor to “go solar”.

Robert Schrimpff, Solar for Schools’ CEO, said: “We hope that other companies will follow National Grid’s example to drive impactful change and decarbonisation.”

Applications are now open. Schools should look here.

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Under brighter conditions, in contrast, the nation’s mams & grans comment idiomatically that the ‘sun is splitting the skies.’ Or the trees. Or the staines/stones.  Seeking a tan, Glaswegians are known to partially disrobe, or “get their tapps aff”.

While not excluding the first condition, British Gas now favours the second, and for the first time from the glens to Scotland’s lowlands and cities.

The powerco is partnering with Angus-headquartered installation company Forster Energy to achieve greater penetration of BG’s home PV offering beyond Hadrian’s Wall and furthe into the Highlands. The distribution franchise also covers Wales and – whisper it quietly  – England.

The energy provider claims installing PV systems and batteries can in theory save households between 75% and 90% off their electricity bills. That range assumes a south-facing typical 4kWp array plus battery provide 35% of the home’s electricity needs. It also assumes excess daytime energy is sold back to the grid at 15p per kWh via BG’s Export & Earn Plus tariff.

The partnership is the latest step in British Gas and Hive’s commitment to helping customers decarbonise their homes and save money on their energy bills.

Last year British Gas launched its Effective Home solar deal in England and Wales. For the first time, the deal with Forster Group will enable its offering to install home solar power & battery technology to any eligible customer in Scotland, England and Wales.

Latest figures from installations quality regulator the Microgeneration Certification Scheme reveal that more than 183,000 solar installations, overwhelmingly on homes, were carried out across all three nations in 2023.

“Ne’er cast a cloot (*), till May is oot” – Scots wisdom

Forster Group says it provides solar services to one in five of all new homes in Scotland. Tapping into the Brechin-based firm’s workforce will boost by 55% the number of accredited solar PV technicians available to British Gas.

Customers can benefit from a free consultation for solar panel installation tailored to their energy usage and home layout. Without commitment, a free survey will give estimated costs, savings and installation options.

Research in the British Gas Homes Index revealed that more than two fifths (42%) of people said they were considering installing solar panels in the next two years to tackle climate change and save on bills.

“We’re seeing our customers get more engaged with the benefits of solar energy”, said British Gas’ director of low carbon homes Susan Wells.

“We are committed to delivering the right products and solutions to help people cut carbon in their homes and save money on their bills in a way that works for them through British Gas and Hive.

Installation company boss John Forster, pictured said: “We are seeing solar power and battery technology playing an essential role in Scotland’s transition to Net Zero. With consumer appetite growing, more people now have the ability to take control of their own energy usage and make huge savings generating their own power”.

At the start of the Feed-in Tariff subsidy in 2010, British Gas bought a Hampshire-based PV installation company, as it sought to cash in on the government-approved deal, offering 20 years of guaranteed, generous income to homes installing PV.  Inept Whitehall administration of the FiT, fought by installers through England’s courts, confused consumers however, leading to disappointing uptake of home PV.

Footnote: A ‘cloot’ in Scots is a patch or a piece of cloth. Alternative meanings include a slap or punch, or part of a cloven hoof, sometimes associated with the devil.  It’s anyone’s guess as to why June is the best time to be ‘casting’/throwing/hurling discarding any of these.

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Attracted by Britain’s status as the world’s second biggest offshore wind market and a global leader in renewables development, JERA Nex – the acronym stands for ‘Japan New Era’ – has an ambition to develop 20GW of renewables worldwide by 2035, through selective acquisitions and partnerships.

Producing about 30% of all Japan’s electricity, the parent company JERA is a 50:50 joint venture formed in April 2015 by two electric leviathans, TEPCO Fuel & Power and Chubu Electric.

Tokyo Electric Power Company – TEPCO – is the firm responsible for the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, flooded by a tsunami in 2011.

JERA committed in 2020 to zero carbon generation by mid-century. Its developing renewables portfolio grew to 30GW last July, with the purchase of Parkwind, Belgium’s largest offshore wind platform.

Parkwind and other operating assets, plus JERA’s 10GW development pipeline, will be transferred to JERA Nex.

The new division’s aim is to leverage the UK’s expertise in financing and developing renewables projects, as well as drawing on our talent pool to develop capabilities in core markets.

The new division will be headed by Nathalie Oosterlinck, pictured, currently head of global renewables at the parent JERA.

She said: “With the launch of JERA Nex, we are bringing together passionate renewable energy people from across the world”.

“Our teams have already delivered pioneering offshore wind farms, from the Taiwan Strait to the North Sea, as well as leading several onshore projects across the world.”

Yukio Kani, the parent JERA’s chair and global CEO, said: “We have outlined a vision to reach zero emissions by 2050. The birth of JERA Nex plays a critical role in our strategic pillars for delivering that ambition.

“JERA Nex will enable us to draw upon expertise from across the world to develop renewable projects, forge partnerships, and build assets that contribute to a future of decarbonized energy with sustainability, affordability, and stability.”

The firm employs more than 300 renewable and energy industry experts.

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Benefitting for at least 10 years will be the UK subsidiary of Kerry Group, the global supplier of nutrition ingredients.  The deal will meet at least half of the company’s electricity consumption.

The agreement is structured as two separate financial pay-as-produced PPA deals. It commits capacity from two of RWE’s imminent solar farms, Cotmoor in Nottinghamshire and Copse Lodge in Northamptonshire.

Each has a potential capacity of 49.9MWp.  Construction of the Cotmoor farm begins this year, with Copse Lodge expected to follow in 2025.

Olaf Lubenow, RWE’s head of trading solutions covering the UK: “Solar power is one of the quickest and easiest renewable technologies to deploy, and can quickly make a significant contribution to the UK’s energy system.

“Through the build-out and operation of our UK portfolio of over 4.4GW of solar, our clean electricity can help even more businesses like Kerry Group to decarbonise for the future by sourcing clean green electricity for years to come.

“We’re delighted to be able to support the transition of businesses away from fossil fuel-sourced electricity and to be making a meaningful contribution to the UK’s net zero ambitions.”

 Juan Aguriano, Kerry’s global head of sustainability added: “Kerry intends to reduce our combined Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve Net Zero by 2050.

“PPAs represent a key pillar of Kerry’s renewable energy strategy to deliver on these commitments.

The agreements with RWE are Kerry’s first PPAs in the UK and represent approximately 50% of Kerry’s electricity volume used in the country. We look forward to supporting more projects like these in the future in Europe and around the world.”

Essen-headquartered RWE seeks to commission on average 450MWp of new solar and storage projects in Britain every year. It is committed to investing 8 billion euros every year this decade in support of its Growing Green strategy.

The company was the most successful solar developer in last year’s Allocation Round 5 for Contracts for Difference, securing agreements for six UK solar projects.

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The green charity’s research, assisted by Exeter University’s academics, further strengthens developers’ complaints at continuing government foot-dragging over new turbines in England’s Conservative-voting shires.

Despite supposedly reversing two years ago David Cameron’s 2015 ban on new turbines in the home nation, Rishi Sunak’s government continues to shun a reform in planning regulations, which continue to presume against new wind developments.

The FoE study identifies nearly 220,000 hectares of English land considered most suitable for onshore turbines, as well as 300,000 hectares favouring new solar farms. The total equates to only 3% of England’s gross land surface.

Some sites could combine both methods, while still conserving both visual amenity and biodiversity, say researchers.

The study’s interactive map  shows the sites at local authority level.  North Yorkshire, the county’s East Riding and Lincolnshire emerge as areas of greatest untapped potential.

Omitted from the FoE/Exeter study are England’s higher grade agricultural land, its national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) and heritage sites. Yet the researchers still find enough viable land to generate 130,000GWh of solar power every year, and 96,000GWh from onshore turbines.

That combined 226,000GW potential every year across both technologies vastly outstrips England’s present land-based output. It currently stands at around 17,000 GWh from already built PV farms and turbines.

With commercial roofs and existing housing stock also excluded as generating sites, FoE stress that not all the land identified would be needed to meet de-carb targets.

The National Grid’s latest Future Energy Scenarios suggest  Britain must double in only six years our renewable electricity yield. Low carbon power is needed in vastly increased amounts to meet targets on switching to homes and businesses to clean heating, and powering EVs.   Adding to the imperative is the government’s treaty-backed commitment to cut carbon emissions by 68% further this decade.

Meeting consumption solely from Britain’s homes, today’s research finds that if all the land identified were developed for onshore solar or wind, in theory 2.5 times more electricity than currently required.

FoE’s climate campaigner Tony Bosworth argued: “Unleashing the UK’s immense potential to generate cheap, clean homegrown renewables is essential to bring down our energy bills for good and meeting the UK’s vital international target to reduce carbon emissions by two thirds by 2030.

“But the current government’s track record on boosting our energy security through renewables is woefully inadequate. It has left the UK lagging far behind in the global race to a zero-carbon economy. Meanwhile, Labour is looking increasingly shaky on climate after rolling back its planned investment in green growth.

Trade association SolarEnergyUK endorsed FoE’s research.   Gemma Grimes, its director of policy and delivery, said: “Friends of the Earth’s welcome report is a good illustration of the wide suitability of land for solar development.

“If we assume that the same ratio of ground-mounted to roof-mounted developments that we see today continues – roughly 2:1 in terms of capacity –“, Grimes added, ”we would need about 35GW of new solar farms to reach the Government’s goal of reaching 70GW by 2035.

“That would mean that deployment would extend to a fraction of the area marked out in the study, while still offering lower bills, a more secure energy supply and benefits for wildlife.”

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