November 2009:

International collaboration is needed to give the right backing to existing advancements in solar power, says Jeremy Leggett

Only a comprehensive international framework will enable a coordinated response to climate change. That is why we have joined the Copenhagen Communiqué, a call to action from businesses across the world.

The problem of climate change is solvable. The policies needed are relatively clear and the costs of transition are manageable, even in the current economic climate. Many of the technologies required are available today; others can be developed if the right incentives are in place.

The 21st century will witness a solar revolution. Buildings will become power plants in the years ahead, generating their own electricity and heating needs, and often more than they need. While not a magic bullet, solar is a key survival technology. Governments must help unleash solar’s potential.

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October 2009:

Real, gutsy solar power is as rare as hen's teeth in this country. By the real deal I mean photovoltaic (PV) systems that convert sunlight into electricity as opposed to rather prosaic solar thermal systems that heat water. Last year just 6MW of solar PV was installed in this country. Compare and contrast the situation in Germany, where more than 1,500MW was installed last year and one in 10 buildings has a solar power system.

This is ludicrous because solar PV could provide 30-40% of the UK's total electricity needs by 2050, reducing CO2 emissions by 15% a year. An average domestic system (a fairly modest 1.8kWp PV system) can provide at least 25% of a household's energy. The sticking point has been the expense.

Luckily there are sunnier days ahead. We've been waiting years for a Feed-in Tariff scheme (rebranded as the Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme), and now it is expected to arrive in April 2010. This will guarantee domestic PV installations 36.5 pence per kw hour of electricity they feed back into the grid, probably for around 25 years.

Read the full article here.

September 2009:

Mike Greene, his wife, Julia, and their two daughters live in a remote, early-Victorian farmhouse in the windswept fenlands on the Cambridgeshire border with Lincolnshire. Due to their isolation, power cuts are common — at least twice a year the Greenes have to fumble for the candles and matches and wait for reconnection while people living in more populous villages and hamlets get priority.

It was this nuisance — and fears that blackouts may become more common — that prompted the Greenes’ decision to double the amount of solar panels they have on their home from six to 12.

“We installed six panels in 2005 and they have worked extremely well, cutting our energy bill by a third — until we installed a grain-burner heating system earlier this year our heating was electric too,” says Mike Greene, a marketing consultant.

“But our current panels feed straight into the grid, so we can’t control what happens to the electricity we generate. The next lot of panels we are having fitted will have the option of feeding electricity into on-site battery packs, so we will be able to use it even if there are power cuts nationally.”

The warning earlier this month from the Government’s energy adviser, Professor David MacKay, that we could be seeing widespread power cuts within the next seven years has added to the arguments for rooftop solar electricity generators for home owners.

While the German Government’s solar programme is seeing more than 130,000 homes being fitted with solar photo-voltaic technology each year, the British Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme grants system has helped just 1,720 home owners over the past three and a half years.

Read the article here.