Environmental campaigners believe the north-east could become a “hotspot” for solar energy after Scotland’s biggest solar farm project was approved for the region. About 200,000 solar panels will be spread across the derelict former RAF Milltown base, near Lhanbryde in Moray, to transform the site. Once complete it will be about four times the size of the biggest one that is currently operational, which is on the Errol Estate in Perthshire. Developer Elgin Energy, which has previously focused on the south of England, targeted Moray for the project due to the area’s huge amount of daylight hours during the summer while retaining easy connections to transmit the energy.
Press & Journal 30th May 2018 read more »
IChoosr has confirmed its next set of ‘one-round’ solar auctions are to take place on 22 August, and installers have been given more insight into the pre-qualification process. Following on from the success of its Solar Together London scheme, which saw almost 4,000 London residents submit their interest in receiving a PV system, iChoosr has already turned its attention to forthcoming auctions. The next auctions are to be ran for participating counties in the east of the country, and iChoosr expects to finalise details in early June. Installers have until 1 June to enter the pre-qualification process via iChoosr’s online portal here. The actual auctions will take place on 22 August with the company intending to run them all simultaneously.
Solar Power Portal 29th May 2018 read more »
Renewable energy consultancy Dulas is aiming to cater for the growing number of public entities looking at solar by launching a new survey service. Dulas’ Remote Renewable Energy Survey Service (RRESS) assesses a site’s suitability for renewable energy projects, essentially providing public sector entities with what’s described as a ‘pre-feasibility report’ that analyses the potential for new developments. The service uses light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveys and geographic information system (GIS) mapping, with all work conducted remotely. This, Dulas said, stands to save public sector organisations time and costs usually incurred via multiple site visits. The service was most recently taken up by the University of Chester’s Faculty of Science and Engineering. Dulas’ RRESS assessed a 66-acre area and selected a number of suitable roof spaces and car parking sites which could be a good fit for solar installations, accounting for the orientation and slope of roofing and forecasted irradiance levels.
Solar Power Portal 29th May 2018 read more »
Google is offering a new service, which it says could help British homeowners save money by switching to solar power. The tech giant has released an online tool called Project Sunroof, in partnership with energy supplier Eon, that estimates savings using data from Google’s Earth and Maps apps. It first launched in the US in 2015, where reviews suggested it was broadly accurate but gave some odd results. Google is also working with German software firm Tetraeder on the project. Project Sunroof uses machine learning to estimate how much solar potential a house has by examining the property’s features, such as its roof area and angle, and weather data, such as sun positioning. Google claims that its models are detailed enough to assess the impact of a single tree on a home’s solar potential.
BBC 30th May 2018 read more »