Solar Power Portal caught up with Emma Bridge to talk about how the market has changed since the end of the FiT, the delays projects are facing due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) and whether subsidy-free is a reality for community solar.
Emma Bridge, chief executive of Community Energy England, looks at some of the successes and challenges community energy is currently facing in light of the closure to the feed-in tariff and announcement of the Smart Export Guarantee.
Residential solar installations slide to just 3.6MW in April 2019, the first month following the closure of the feed-in tariff.
Solar module manufacturer Q Cells has committed to the UK PV market in the long term, claiming the post-feed in tariff landscape “abounds with opportunities”.
Community Energy England (CEE) has called for energy suppliers to offer ‘suitable’ tariffs for community energy in the wake of the feed-in tariff (FiT) closure.
The government is keen to avoid a “bonanza” of people “gaming the system” as it continues to mull a replacement for the small-scale feed-in tariff scheme.