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

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The pair intend generating up to 31MWp from 63,000 solar panels – covering the area of 18 football pitches – now being installed on 26 buildings of the Port of Liverpool.

The combined arrays are expected to amount to the nation’s biggest at rooftop level.  Together they will generate up to 25% of the port’s electricity needs, equalling that of 10,000 UK homes. Carbon emissions from the site will drop by 6,500 tonnes each year, the equivalent of taking 2,250 cars off the road.

Construction now under way is to due to finish by summer 2026. The pair are committed to engaging local contractors wherever possible.

More than 6,000 panels have already been delivered, ready to be installed on the new 240,000 sq ft Alexandra Dock warehouse, itself nearing completion.  All materials will be brought to the site by sea, minimising impact on local roads.

Financed and delivered by E.ON, the port’s massive solar investment is the first stage of a 25-year agreement will help Peel Ports Group reach its goal of Net Zero emissions by 2040.

Bringing closer the operator’s ambition to run Liverpool docks solely on renewables, a second project will be to replace five onshore wind turbines existing with four larger ones, lifting their generation close to 20MW.

Subject to local consultations and planning consent, work could begin as early as 2027.

Peel Ports CEO Claudio Veritiero said: “We’re proud to be embarking on this long-term partnership with E.ON and to be undertaking this important project together, revolutionising the Port of Liverpool’s energy system.

“Ports of the future need to become more sustainable environments and we must play our part in a greener supply chain.”

E.ON UK head Chris Norbury said: “The Port of Liverpool is a critical piece of infrastructure for the UK and decarbonising sites like this will be vital for the UK to achieve its environmental goals.

“Simply put, we all need to move faster on reducing emissions and this huge project will be a massive step in the right direction. We’ve been the energy supplier for Peel Ports Group for more than 20 years and I’m proud they’re putting their trust in us.

Planning applications have been lodged with Sefton and Liverpool City Councils.

Peel Ports has put more than £1 billion of its own money over the last ten years into sustainable infrastructure, with a focus on reducing the emissions associated with its operations.

Specialists involved in the project include EMTEC, FES, Absolute Solar and Cogeo as planning co-ordinators.

The port of Hull, owned by Peel’s rival Associated British Ports, currently houses Britain’s biggest rooftop PV array.  Installer Custom Solar completed the 6.5MW project in 2020.

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New solar arrays on or near each of the company’s UK sites lead its plans.  Facilities earmarked for more solar PV include its HQ at Gaydon, near Coventry, for the volume Halewood plant near Liverpool, pictured, and at its specialist Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.

The EPR’s roof is, according to a JLR statement, destined to have existing PV arrays expanded to nearly 19MW, meeting over one-third of the site’s power needs.

At the company’s Gaydon centre, planning approval has already been won for 18.2MW of new ground-mounted solar, adding to existing roof top arrays.  The expansion will meet 40 per cent of the HQ’s power needs.

Solar car ports as well as conventional ground and roof arrays will feature in plans to grow the company’s solar PV capacity by 16 per cent overall. The first of three identified off-grid installations is scheduled to begin generation by late 2026.

All sites covered by the plans will retain grid connections, ensuring continuity of supply.

Tata-owned JLR’s drive towards more self generation is part of its global strategy to cover 36.4 per cent of its global consumption be the end of this decade.  The automaker is working to the same schedule to cut carbon emissions across its operations by 46 per cent.

Under its ‘Reimagine’ programme, the UK operation has already rolled out energy efficiency projects, reducing emissions by 26% in 2023 compared to 2020. A total of 53 energy optimisation projects have been implemented in the last year, with savings in CO2e of 10.9ktonnes, equivalent to 5.5 million fire extinguishers.

“JLR is committed to managing its net zero energy transition against the challenging backdrop of volatile energy prices,” said Francois Dossa, JLR strategy and sustainability executive director, declared.

“We are working hard as a business to improve our energy efficiency across our entire global operations.

“These new projects will diversify our energy portfolio, to reduce our reliance on grid electricity and help us to reduce our energy bills”, Dossa said.  “The steps we are taking further support our ambitious goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2039, and to hit our mid-term science-based targets along the way.”

Earlier this week, JLT’s parent Tata Group confirmed it will build a multi-billion-pound electric vehicle battery gigafactory at its Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater in Somerset. JLR and Tata Motors are scheduled to be the factory’s first customers, but the new plant will also sell to third-party vehicle makers.

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Industrial roofs and public buildings such as schools will gain most.  Systems of up to 1MWp – very broadly between 300 and 350 panels – will no longer be required to endure delays of up to eight weeks – or so ministers estimate –,  while town hall planners ponder projects.

Flat surfaces above homes no longer need approval either, bringing them in line with commercial roofs.  Curbs in conservation areas, which typically make it hard to erect systems visible from ground level, remain in force however.

Yesterday’s move by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities extends the scope of what planners refer to as permitted development.

It will ease the work of a joint industry-government solar task force, aiming to persuade indifferent or conservative landlords of shopping malls, factories, car parks and logistics depots to embrace PV, enabling tenants to slash electricity bills.

From its outset the group saw planning rules as a major barrier to productive use of largely unseen, unlovely, otherwise wasted surfaces.  Remaining obstacles include big installations’ waits for grid connections and shortages of technically qualified staff in electrical trades.

Announced in May, the taskforce is currently scheduled to cease work when it reports in February.  Though the body’s working groups  are dominated by supply-side participants such as installers, developers and kit importers, SolarEnergy UK is believed to have approached the UK Warehousing Association, RICS the landlords’ advisory body and the Local Government Association.

It was set up to speed up the government’s goal of 70GW of solar on UK roofs by 2035, stepping up by five times current PV deployments.

Trade advocates Solar Energy UK welcomed the improvement. Their chief executive Chris Hewett said:

“The potential of installing solar power on large commercial rooftops is vast, estimated at 15 gigawatts across the country”.

“Eliminating one of the stumbling blocks on the way to fulfilling that opportunity is extremely welcome, helping to make British businesses more competitive by slashing energy bills, bolstering the economy and pushing us further towards Net Zero.”

Property developers and house builders provided at least ten per cent of all donations to the Conservative Party since 2010, the Guardian reported in October, using figures compiled from public records. The same source estimated property owners had benefitted by at least £15 billion since 2015 by building homes to old, high carbon standards, without PV panels or batteries, heat pumps and effective insulation.

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Running across the Great Sunburnt Country for 3,000 kilometres from Darwin to Adelaide starting on 22 October, the competition brings some of the world’s greatest scientific and engineering talent to Australia.

Vehicles can only be powered by the energy of the sun.  University-affiliated teams push the limits of technological innovation, crossing the Lucky Country’s Dead Red Centre in solar-powered contraptions which they have designed, engineered and built themselves.

Top Dutch Solar Racing is a multidisciplinary solar racing team based in Groningen. The team stands out as it is not linked to a single technical university; instead its members include students from a variety of institutions and at various educational levels.

Ain’t no Verstappen us now

Four months ago Oxford PV, a 13 year old spin-off from the British university, achieved a world-record efficiency of 28.6% for converting light to power with its commercial-sized tandem solar cell, which features a perovskite coating laid on silicon. That’s around five points better than conventional silicon-only cells.

With an R&D base in Oxford and a factory near Berlin, Oxford PV plan to focus on home roofs and other area-constrained surfaces, when volume sales start early in 2024.  The company is clear-eyed about taking its technology beyond 30% efficiency.

Oxford PV and Top Dutch Solar Racing engineers have been working together for months, building and testing the technology that will power the team’s vehicle in their second attempt at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The team narrowly missed out a podium spot in 2019, finishing in fourth place.

Motion without lotion

Video of the launch event of their latest car follows: .

Chris Case, Oxford PV’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said: “Our highly-efficient solar photovoltaic technology integrates with standard silicon solar cells to deliver more power in the same area – critical for enabling more affordable clean energy – as well as now hopefully powering the Top Dutch Solar Racing team across the Outback.

“We will be cheering Green Thunder the whole way.”

For the Dutch racers, photovoltaic engineer Laura de la Fuente Esteban added: “Over the past year our team has been studying how to capture the sun’s energy using innovative technologies that will allow us to compete against teams with over 10 years of experience.

“Tandem silicon solar cells from Oxford PV can outperform traditional silicon solar cells by at least 20%“, she added. “They represent the next big leap forward for solar power, as silicon cells approach their theoretical limits.”

Motion without lotion

Beginning in 1987, the World Solar Challenge occurs once every two years. In 2019, a record 53 entries from 24 countries were received and around 1,500 participants were observed and followed by a global audience of more than 25 million.

The Aussie organisers say the race’s challenge is not just about finishing the fastest, but about innovating towards a future of green mobility.

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The 59MW-rated facility newly built in Ockendon – a patch of half-rural, half-industrial Essex that even county natives look down upon – commands an output nominally equivalent to 15,000 homes’ consumption in a year.

Frames at the Ockendon establishment now support 107,000 PV modules, each rated at either 540Wp or 545Wp, thanks to their bi-facial ability to convert light reflected up from the verdant Essex sod.

Gloucestershire-based technology provider REG Power Management came up with the kit. The Essex order includes inverters changing the panels‘ DC output into AC, ready for being stepped up to a grid-ready 132 kV by transformers at the Warley substation, 2.6 miles north.

Recycling leviathan Veolia already generates 800GWh of renewable electricity – a baseload nominally meeting 240,000 homes’ use – from its collection of UK assets in solar, biomass, biogas, and Energy Recovery facilities (ERF).  Ockendon is its third British ground-mounted solar farm, after Ling Hall, Warwickshire, and Netley in Hampshire.

More roof-mounted modules commissioned by Veolia power UK hospitals, offices, water treatment works and recycling centres.  All the output qualifies as low carbon under the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) regime.

Hailing Veolia’s Ockendon achievement, Donald Macphail, its chief operating officer for treatment, said “This development is a further step towards achieving a Net Zero carbon future for the UK, and a demonstration of how we can transform this restored landfill to give it a new life.

“This (Ockendon) project also has greater significance, “ Macphail explained, ”as the solar arrays have minimal ground level impact, so the wildlife that has repopulated the restored land can continue to coexist with the technology”.

Matt Partridge, development director at REG Power Management added: “We’re delighted to have worked with Veolia to help deliver another significant clean energy development”.

Veolia Group aspires from its Paris headquarters – a city rarely confused with the Essex edgelands  – to become what it calls the “benchmark company for ecological transformation”.  With 220,000 employees and operations on five continents covering recycling, waste disposal  & water treatment, last year the group generated 44TWh of energy internationally.

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Home rooftop systems beneath 10kWp in capacity are being installed at their fastest rate since 2016, energy consultants NTT Data calculate, using government statistics.

Domestic solar accounts for an estimated 27% of Britain’s 15.6GWp of PV systems now generating.

Homes adding solar panels made up 73% of Britain’s new PV capacity last year. Domestic additions for the half decade since 2016 had averaged only 43%.

But without speeded up connections delayed by thermal and voltage constraints everywhere on Britain’s creaking grid,  NTT say 2050 may yet become an impossible deadline for the UK to attain Net Zero.

Run-rate installations of home PV lagged the 25% mark for five years between March 2016 and last June, the consultants note.

Capex write-offs favour oil and gas

Planning rejections for solar fields also ran in 2022 at their highest rate for five years, NTT notes further drive expansion on homes’ roofs.

Initiated by Theresa May’s government to help home generators sell unwanted power, Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariffs offered by retailers now reward homeowners only with a meagre of 13% of current wholesale prices.  These stand at around 37.2p per kWh.

That economic logic prompts PV owners to direct excess energy towards home batteries or home-charged family EVs, rather than selling and it back to the grid. Soaring retail tariffs increase the incentive to store excess power, not sell it.

Eduardo Fernandez, NTT Data’s head of gas, power & water observed: “Energy microgeneration has graduated from theory to practice: due, in part, to rapidly increasing energy prices.

“Renewed investment in solar installations by homeowners is driving the decentralisation of the energy grid, ramping up the pressure for local network transformation.

“Small installations now make up a quarter of the UK’s national solar capacity. That puts pressure on DNOs to make drastic changes to their technology stack.

“Homeowners are now paid an average of around 4.9p/kWh to deliver excess electricity back to the grid. Wholesale prices paid by electricity companies are almost 10 times this, and the current energy cap is 9 times the price paid”.

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Lingering EU money from the European Regional Development Fund contributes a chunk of the cash, aiding one of England’s heaviest Brexit-voting regions.

Power Roll’s solar film is billed as capable of producing “ultra-low-cost” green electricity.

Made at a pilot plant opened last year on Durham County Council’s Jade Business Park, the rolls are claimed to be cheaper to produce than existing flexible solar PV technologies.

The firm’s light-sensitive product is suitable for coating buildings & rooftops, including ones too weak or poorly shaped to bear conventional modules made of glass and aluminium. Uses on vehicles, on portable applications and for off-grid projects are also supported, says the manufacturer.

Glasgow-based investors Maven led a consortium of mainly public investors in Power Roll’s latest funding round. Since 2020, the Scots have invested £2.75 million in the Wearside pioneers.

The latest transaction comprises two investments from Maven-managed regional funds, a £750,000 investment from the North East Development Capital Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund, and a £250,000 investment from the Finance Durham Fund, established by Durham County Council and overseen by Business Durham.

Maven’s investment manager Michael Dickens enthused: “We have been pleased to witness the development, technical and commercial milestones Power Roll has achieved with its disruptive solar film technology.

Solar is expected to be the fastest-growing energy sub-segment worldwide this year, with global solar equipment production expected to exceed $220 billion.

That’s the way to Makkem

Power Roll’s managing director Neil Spann said: “Maven shares our vision for the future. Our mission is to revolutionise solar energy powering a global rooftop solar revolution from here in County Durham.

“Our solar film has the potential to generate solar energy from the billions of square metres of rooftops where the heavy and rigid silicon panels manufactured in China cannot be deployed.”

Cllr James Rowlandson, portfolio holder for investment & resources, said: “Durham County Council is proud to support Power Roll through our Finance Durham Fund. With this additional investment, we are confident that Power Roll will continue to thrive in County Durham and contribute to the global transition towards net zero.

“The innovative solar film technology developed by Power Roll has the potential to revolutionise the solar energy industry, providing ultra-low-cost green electricity on a global scale. We are excited to see the positive impact this investment will have on both the local economy and the environment.”

Thin film PV has scored only variable success in Britain. In 2015 Chinese manufacturer Hanergy began selling its home-focused panels through a concession in 18 IKEA stores. The partnership failed within two years, killed off as Hanergy’s miserable 12% conversion efficiency confined sales only to roofs of larger homes.

Repeated manipulation of Hanergy’s share price practised by senior managers on the Shanghai stock exchange further disgraced the firm.

Cambridge engineer John Hingley founded Milton Keynes-based Renovagen, promoting containerised solar film, satisfying military and humanitarian needs for remote power.  Wound up in 2021 after eight years, the firm since appears to have been re-born.

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Solar installation is booming in Britain. Over 130,000 PV systems were installed on the nation’s homes last year, the busiest for seven years. But the industry increasingly faces questions over modules’ fate, once their three or four decades of viable operation are over.

Reputable manufacturers warranty panels for at least 20 years, guaranteeing their performance within at least 90% of “factory-fresh’ ratings. But, as installed kit approaches the end of useful output, brands have faced criticism for failing to address the salvaging of re-usable copper, silver, aluminium and silicon.

Now planning what’s believed to be one of Britain’s first depots for module recycling , Blackburn-based waste separators CSG Recovery offer an answer.

Greg Smith, technical manager at the firm’s Stanley Street depot, says many panels are approaching the end of their working life.

“Some have a shelf life of around 25 years, so we are starting to see those originally installed around the year 2000 at the end of their cycle,” he said. “Lots will need replacement, particularly from large solar farms.”

With PV installers busier now they’ve ever been, CSG calculates 13,000 PV panels begin generation in the UK every month.

Worldwide, the International Renewable Energy Agency predicts as much as four million tonnes of discarded panels by 2030. By mid-century, the global total could pass 200 million tonnes.

Blackburn’s CSG believes it can recycle around 96% of each module’s content.  Said Smith: “The frame can broken down and reformed into new aluminium, and re-used”.

Long expertise within the CSG group, including handling photographic waste, qualifies the firm to recover valuable silver from a panel’s grid of microconductors. Hardest to recycle is the plastic-based film coating every panel.

Last year, CSG Recovery demonstrated its environmental credentials when its Blackburn facility became a zero waste to landfill site.

CSG employs more than 500 people nationally, supporting a network of waste treatment and recovery centres. For more information, visit www.csg.co.uk

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Besides its national transmission responsibilities, the National Grid – 2023 operating profits of £ 4.6 billion – is the regional distribution network operator for the Midlands, South West and South Wales.

The company’s Business Plan commits it to ‘build decarbonised communities and local energy schemes by providing £540,000 of shareholder-funded support each year to install solar PV on schools in areas of high economic deprivation’.

A 19kWp system, pictured with staff including principal David Alexander, now powers classrooms at Rednock School, Dursley.  NG-ED promises more installations will follow, focussed on bringing solar power to schools serving deprived communities.

An unnamed local ecologist is monitoring biodiversity net gain and carbon levels.

Ellie Patey, NG’s social obligations officer, hailed Rednock as “a landmark project for National Grid, as we increase our support for local community projects by helping them to decarbonise”.

“This project has helped to shape the model that will be scaled up across our network over the next five years as we deliver on our RIIO-ED2 commitments.

“At National Grid, we’re committed to delivering locally-tailored solutions. which is why the unique insight of local stakeholders, who have a close connection to the community, is so invaluable.

Despite seeking credit for this modest first step, privatised behemoth National Grid lags a decade behind volunteer innovators who target solar roofs for their communities’ schools.

Over 90 school PV systems operate already, thanks alone to work by the Schools Energy Co-op, a spin-off from Energy4All, a big collective of UK co-operatives founded in 2002 by Surrey solicitor Mike Smyth.

Solar Options for Schools, a social impact business, was founded in 2015 by fathers Martin Augustin & Robert.  Besides the UK, it now operates in Germany, Spain & Colombia.

Rednock is  a 1,250-pupil foundation school & sixth form, 13 per cent of them receiving free school meals, and rated “good” by Ofsted in 2018.

National Grid provided £10,000 to install Rednock’s solar PV panels, and £2,000 more towards maintenance. The school’s pupils, staff and parents chipped in to expand the system.

In its 2023 results released last month, National Grid posted operating profits of £4.6 billion.  At £7.7 billion, it is running its biggest ever investment programme, and had allocated £24 million out of its UK Energy Support fund.

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The new 28.6% benchmark exceeds their own record of 26.8%, set only last year.  Both records were verified by the prestigious Fraunhofer ISE institute.

Conventional silicon-based cells convert at most 24% of available light into electricity.   The Oxford innovators achieve their edge by coating their product with stabilised perovskite,  a mineral previously regarded as too unstable for commercial exploitation.

The British firm produced the cell on its integrated production line in Brandenburg an der Havel, near Berlin.  Opened in 2016, the factory produces the company’s tandem solar cells for supply to solar module manufacturers. A ramp up of production will now follow.

The company, an eleven year old spin-off from Oxford University, hit the headlines last month when it said it would look to America or Asia, and not Britain, for expansion and further investment.

“Solar is already one of the least expensive and cleanest forms of energy available, and our technology will make it even more affordable,” observed Dr Chris Case, Oxford Perovskite’s chief technology officer.

“Our latest efficiency achievement of 28.6% is more than 1.5% above our record set last year and exceeds our own roadmap plan of 1% annual increases.

”These record-setting solar cells are made on the same production line as our 27% efficient commercial solar cells, which already meet strict performance and reliability targets.

Solar panels integrated with Oxford PV’s solar cells produce more electricity from the same area, making them highly attractive for residential and commercial rooftops. For utility-scale solar farms, the firm’s technology reduces land usage and assists in maintaining biodiversity.

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That’s the assessment from experts at UCL’s Energy Institute, in analysis prepared for CPRE, the countryside conservation organisation.

Professor Mark Barrett and Dr Daniel Scamman took as their starting point the ranges in required expansion scenarios for onshore wind, solar, and biomass prepared by the National Grid, the Climate Change Committee and D-BEIS.  All are directed at achieving zero emissions by 2050.  The academics then related them to types of land likely to accommodate the necessary new capacity.

“More than sufficient urban solar PV capacity could be located on rooftops and car parks without necessitating the development of solar farms in rural areas”, the UCL Energy researchers conclude explicitly.

Switching future solar from farmland to tarmac in towns and warehouse roofs will raise capital costs, the academics concede, resulting in dearer electricity generated.   But solar on industrial estates and office blocks faces few planning delays; earlier deployment could cut lifetime costs of their output.

Last week with industry representatives, energy minister Graham Stuart convened a new joint taskforce urging more PV generation on car parks and industrial roofs.  No property owner is  yet publicly confirmed among the group’s members.  It ceases its work next February.

Last month the government’s Powering up Britain blueprint committed it to raising solar capacity to 70GW by 2035.

Onshore wind receives no mention in the plan, an omission reflecting ministers’ failure to slacken planning rules which continue David Cameron’s ban in England since 2016.  Though popular among many country dwellers, onshore turbines provoke the wrath of many Conservative voters.

“Onshore wind turbines use little surface area… but have wider visual impacts”, the UCL pair note.   “They are expected to play a large role in the UK’s future energy mix, though (their) environmental impacts are currently less well understood and require further research”.

Biomass’s case for more land is less clear, the academics write. “It requires large areas per energy produced compared to solar and wind, and impacts directly on ecosystems. It can compete with land for natural habitats and food production”.

Barrett and Scamman make their predictions within the lowest and highest ranges offered in the three organisations’ scenarios.  They do not factor in ancillary costs such as transmission.

On solar, the UCL pair note that England’s hypothetical maximum solar capacity under the energy ministry’ NZES is 83 GW, against what they UCL call solar PV’s “urban technical potential”. They estimate this as 117 GW.

Around 9 GW of England’s present 14 GW working solar capacity is in fields, with only 1 GW on non-domestic roofs, according to BEIS’s Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). On a maximum scenario, another 69 GW is needed by mid-century, the UCL pair note. Urban PV set-ups can be ranked upwards by cost systems, with bigger roofs such as shopping malls achieving cost profiles “comparable to solar farms”.  Lower cost PV systems require less labour per capacity installed and may therefore be built more quickly, the pair note.

Read the UCL Energy researchers’ land use paper here.

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With Schroders Greencoat tapping pension and insurance providers for long-term funds, the duo have established ISG Renewables as a new vehicle for co-development.

Along with every new energy provider, the pair flag enhancing Britain’s energy security and Net Zero ambitions as strategic goals.

A recently commissioned 10 MWp farm, Carn Nicholas near Swansea, is the partners’ first purchase. Finished in recent weeks by Innova, the project is now outputting clean electricity sufficient to offset approximately 2,000 tonnes of CO2 every year.

Two more sites, whose acquisitions are yet to be finalised, are expected to join the operational roster imminently. A further three are described be “in design and procurement” for this year.

Formerly known as Greencoat Capital LLP, Schroders Greencoat manages a 1.1GW portfolio of nearly 130 British solar farms. The parent entity now has £8.8 billion of assets under management globally.

Its first solar fund, Greencoat Solar I LP, was launched in 2016, in response to investor demand for an unlisted product investing in Britain’s operational PV farms. Greencoat Solar II LP reached its first close in September 2017 with £260m of capital from several major UK pension schemes. The UK solar business manages £1.6 billion of capital.

Complementing Schroders’ access to long-term capital, Innova will bring their construction and development projects, plus in-house expertise in the development of sites, construction, and operational management.

The new entity ISG Renewables will, says its parents, target a proportion of contracted revenues through contracts for difference, private wire supply to corporate consumers, and corporate PPAs.

For Schroders Greencoat’s investors, partner Lee Moscovitch welcomed the venture’s long-term, inflation-protected cashflows.

“We are very excited to be working closely with Innova to substantially grow our presence in the UK solar generation and storage market”, Moscovitch added.

Robin Dummett, a director at Innova, echoed his partner’s pleasure.   “Grounded in shared values and ambitions in the renewable energy sector, we believe this market-leading platform, which combines Innova’s development and operational expertise with Schroders Greencoat’s longstanding reputation for delivery, has the capacity to make a major contribution to the UK’s energy security and net zero targets.

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All four are planned for completion this year.  Lifespans for each of 40 years will end with them being returned to their natural state.

Each site will benefit from an advanced biodiversity plan and significant ecological enhancements designed to support some of the UK’s most at-risk birds and wildlife, as well as native plant life. Wildflower meadows will be created, hedgerows and trees will be planted and bird and bat boxes installed.

Low Farm, the biggest site, is expected to register a net biodiversity gain of more than 130%.

Once operational, each PV farm will be monitored by Anesco’s operations and maintenance team,

Wayne Cranstone, Gresham House investment director, said: “We’re delighted to see our partnership with Anesco taking this important step forward with construction now officially underway on the first four projects. All four have been sensitively developed with strong attention to biodiversity, as well as a focus on quality construction to aid their performance and efficiency.”

The three year, 200MW, ground mount solar development and construction partnership is valued in excess of £100m and will comprise sites from 20MW to 50MW in generation capacity.

Anesco CEO Hildagarde McCarville enthused: “Through this partnership with Gresham House, we are delighted to be putting our end-to-end capabilities and expertise to good use, supporting the UK’s transition to a sustainable, low carbon energy network.

“Grid scale solar assets have a vital role to play, not only for aiding decarbonisation but for energy security, which are two of the most pressing challenges we face today. The ability to achieve this, whilst in parallel increasing the biodiversity net gain at these locations, reaffirms our corporate commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

Anesco oversees more than 140 utility scale projects in solar generation and power storage. Its operations and maintenance team manages more than 1.6GW of assets.

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Just over 130,000 home solar installations were registered with the MCS in 2022, up 114% on 2021, the MCS reports.

The MCS is the quality assurance body originally set up as guarantor of components & quality of installation in the bygone era when public money such as the Feed-in Tariff subsidised technologies such as home solar.  Clean power making on a home scale closed for subsidy in March 2019, for new applicants at least.

Green jobs in installation grew last year too.   780 new contractors became MCS certified, two-thirds of them certifying in clean electricity generation, again more than double the net increase on 2021. Last year thus witnessed the highest yearly leap of certified technicians in over a decade. Overwhelmingly, MCS contractors are micro- or small businesses, led by entrepreneurs practising a trade.

Whitehall’s imposition of subsidy cuts throughout the 20-teens at almost no notice resulted in the home installation industry’s notorious “solar coaster”, which dramatically grew, then culled, small firms.

Activity as reported for 2022 by the authoritative MCS indicates that rollercoaster is back at a peak, and arguably plateauing.    More than 3,000 certified businesses now make up the MCS contractor base.

Other home-sized low carbon energy techs are also enjoying their place in the sun, the MCS’s 2022 summaries reveal.

Heat pumps in both their air-source and ground-source variants, saw more than 30,000 installations, equivalent to 19% of all home-scale energy systems logged in the year.

March 2022 saw the largest spike in heat pump installations of any month in MCS history, as homeowners and installers rushed to beat the closure of the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

Heat pump uptake remained high following the launch of the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), launched in May 2022.  It offers households in England and Wales up to £6,000 to replace home boilers.

During 2022, almost 9,000 BUS vouchers were issued with a value of nearly £45 million. The government intends the BUS to fund 90,000 heat pumps by 2025.

Battery storage makes its first appearance for accreditation in 2022’s records. The MCS gave 50 certified contractors their competence award, up from only two contractors registered in 2021. A total of 269 battery systems were installed last year.

Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS, was happy but said more contractors are needed.

“We’re pleased to report our second strongest year since 2015, illustrating the sector’s upward trajectory”, said Rippin.

“We had an incredibly busy 2022.  The future of small-scale renewable installations is becoming increasingly important, and we continue to play a crucial role in the decarbonisation of the UK’s homes.

“Looking ahead, we need to drive this momentum and upward mobility at pace and continue to ensure consumer confidence across all technology types. To support this and ensure government targets are met, more skilled contractors are needed.

“As such, we will launch the Low Carbon Heating Technician Apprenticeship later this year. We are confident this will attract young people and career-changers to the industry, creating a more diverse workforce that meets the demands of the industry while providing future-proof careers in the green sector.”

Since MCS began recording installations, the scheme has seen more than 1.5 million certified power generation systems go into UK homes.

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