From today (July 12) Floyd Lewis, former director of Solar Technik, has been banned for nine years following the way he run his business.

Solar Technik which traded from Hinton Road, Bournemouth, Dorset went into voluntary liquidation in March 2007owing creditors £1,381,456.

But, before going bust the firm had been the subject of numerous investigations following customer's complaints over advertsing claims, sales techniques and other issues.

The uptake of renewable heat technologies has really dropped off with the renewable heat incentive (RHI) still looming, but no confirmation of the final tariffs or criteria, and the recent removal of the LCBP grants.

No doubt things will pick up once the RHI details have been announced there. However, based on the response to the feed-in tariff this has the potential to be very dangerous.

The Northern Ireland Government Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster together with Noel Crowe, Managing Director of the Environmental & Renewables division for Kingspan Group, presents the new Varisol collector at the inauguration of the new factory in Portadown on 19th of May 2010.
Photo: Kingspan Renewables

The Department of Energy and Climate Change today published plans for a scheme to incentivise renewable heat generation at all scales. The Renewable heat incentive scheme (RHI) will be a world first.

The RHI will come into effect in April 2011 and guarantee payments for those who install technologies such as ground source heat pumps, solar thermal hot water systems, biomass boilers and air source heat pumps.

The famous pilgrimage to Shirdi in Western India will soon include meals cooked by the world's largest solar thermal installation for steam cooking. Its estimated cost is at INR 13.3 million (approx. US$ 300,000), for which the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy provided a subsidy of INR 5.84 million (approx. US$ 130,000) to the temple's Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust.