UK tops Europe rankings for new solar power in 2014
UK installed the most new solar energy capacity in Europe last year and is on track to retain its top-ranking position in 2015
The UK installed the most new solar energy capacity in Europe last year and is on track to retain its top-ranking position in 2015, as solar developers rushed to complete projects ahead of subsidy cuts for large solar farms.
The impressive performance from the UK comes at a challenging period for the sector in Europe.
Research by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) has found that installations of solar applications across Europe have fallen sharply over the past four years.
Less than 7GW was installed in Europe in 2014 compared to 21GW in 2011, according to the research.
The EPIA says the decline in solar installations is due to policy challenges, with some governments having cut subsidies and the introduction of import tariffs on some Chinese solar panels.
The new figures suggest that the UK installed more than a third of new solar capacity in Europe in 2014, taking it ahead of the traditional solar markets of Germany and France.
Estimates suggest the UK installed a total of 2.5GW last year and has already added a further 2GW so far in 2015.
From 1 April 2015, the government stopped the Renewables Obligation (RO) subsidy scheme for ground-mounted solar projects of 5MW or more.
According to reports, 2GW was installed in the first quarter of 2015, and estimates have suggested a further 1GW could be installed in the rest of the year with the support of a feed-in tariff incentive scheme.
