[ Spotlight: Photovoltaics ]
moment. Certainly, the vast majority of schemes that ECA members may be involved in will not be affected by any cap. ‘We see the Huhne Review as a positive thing,’ says Sarah Fry, business development manager at the ECA’s certifi cation arm ELECSA. ‘FITs are supposed to be for the householder, not for European venture capitalists involved in solar farms. With a cap, the money will go where it was intended.’ Bill Wright, head of energy solutions at the ECA, concurs:
‘This will bring it down to a more realistic level so that more people overall will benefi t from the funding.’ The ECA and ELECSA have recently completed a
mammoth tour around the regions with its Renewables and Energy Effi ciency Roadshow. In all, 67 events, including three trade shows, regional seminars and appearances by the renewables trailer at electrical distributors, have brought the green message to contractors. ‘It’s been really well received across the regions,’ says Sarah Fry. ‘The next step will be to run some seminars for clients and specifi ers later in the year.’ The seminars have covered all bases from the market
drivers, the FITs scheme, the Microgeneration Certifi cation Scheme (MCS) necessary to be eligible for FITs, training issues and practical guidance from installers already working in the fi eld (see box, ‘Practical tips for PV’).
Getting registered Despite the buzz of the seminars, the ramping-up of production by manufacturers and the 20,000 PV installations already registered since April, the number
About the author
Andrew Brister Andrew Brister is a freelance journalist and editor. He has been involved in the building services sector for over 20 years.
of ECA members that are MCS-registered remains low – in the hundreds. It seems that the bulk of projects are being won by some unlikely names: Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Everest (the double glazing people) to name a few. ECA member WT Parker is one contractor that is getting
excited about this new opportunity. The fi rm, based in Burton on Trent, has formed a new division of the business called Parker Energy, with renewable technologies in mind. Solar PV is the fi rst technology to be developed, and the company has invested greatly in the training and development of the new technology. ‘We’ve put some of our electricians through the MCS
accreditation scheme via ELECSA,’ explains Tim Hughes, an engineer with WT Parker. ‘The head offi ce has seen a new 2kW PV system installed on the roof to show the commitment in the technology and the reduction of CO2
,
and to act as a working system to be demonstrated to potential customers with a visual training board made up of the real components.’ Although WT Parker operates across all sectors of the building services industry, ‘we see the domestic market as our biggest opportunity for Parker Energy at the minute,’ says Hughes. Certainly, that will be the fi rst port-of-call for most ECA
members. It is to be hoped, though, that Huhne’s review does not rule out community schemes, schools and local authorities that could benefi t from the cost and energy savings, but now is the time to concentrate on the huge upswell in interest from domestic consumers. The future certainly looks bright for solar PV.
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ENERGY AUDITS VOLTAGE OPTIMISATION ACCURATE DATA & LOW INVESTMENT
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