A couple of weeks ago, we were all enjoying the lovely warm English sunshine although, it’s hard to remember now after the recent inclement weather. While we were all baking on Friday 26 May 2017, the UK’s solar (PV) output quietly broke its previous record, peaking at 8.84GW at 13:00, and meeting 25% of UK power demand. This meant that, for the first time, solar energy provided more power than the UK’s eight nuclear plants combined.

Overall UK renewables generated 40% of the required demand on Friday afternoon, putting gas and coal into second place. Also, when added to nuclear, the generation by low carbon sources peaked at around 60%.

The capacity of solar in the UK now requires the National Grid to become ‘Weather Forecasters’ to ensure generation capability is balanced and demand met. A team of specialists is now employed just to do this.

Solar installed capacity is at around 12GW across the country, from Scotland to Cornwall, and has boomed over the past five years with the subsidies offered. Those subsidies have been reduced recently, causing investment to stall, but the global demand for panels has continued to slash costs and even non-subsidised investments are starting to look attractive.

FEC Energy helps businesses all the way from the initial business assessment through to advising on installations and compliance to claiming of available subsidies. We also help in getting the best price for exported energy. Contact us if you want help in this area.