Battery storage technologies coupled to solar systems have been around for a few years now. In fact, here at SunGift we’ve installed and tested the many different solutions from manufacturers around the globe.
We have been saying the technology is there in most cases but is has been hard to say when the correct time to get involved is – but now we believe that 2016 is the year that it will take off.
Over the past few months we’ve been continuing our research, and in January SunGift will be one of the first companies in the UK to receive official training from American giants Tesla so that we can incorporate the technology into our customers’ installations.
Renewable energy will continue to grow
One thing that is affecting many renewable energy companies at the moment is the government’s energy strategy which can only be described as an omnishambles – including meddling with the Feed-in Tariff, the stalling of carbon capture and storage (CCS), fracking projects being mindlessly being pushed through, an increased commitment to nuclear energy and a general lack of investment in renewables. However, despite this, I am convinced that renewable energy in the UK is now resilient enough to march forward and carve its own path. In the past couple of years the tide has turned and we’ve seen increasing numbers of people striving to unhook themselves from the big six energy companies by choosing technologies such as solar and biomass. That’s why I feel positive about the long-term future of renewable energy and why SunGift is continuing to do what we do best – helping homeowners and businesses to take control of their energy futures.
Four more years and £100 million for FiT
Although the cuts have been fairly harsh, the Feed-in Tariff has been dropping over the years so its actually the saving from not purchasing grid electricity that is the main driver these days – in my view the less government involvement the better!
Having said that, the government has still put aside £100 million for future installations, and having helped customers through the maze of solar incentives for many years, we’re certain that – particularly with the growth of energy storage and better monitoring systems – those that choose solar have a positive future ahead of them.
Renewable Energy Installer of the Year
It’s this attitude that we believe has helped us not only be shortlisted for three top awards towards the end of 2015, but also take the top honours in two of them – becoming SW Green Energy Awards Installer of the Year for a record third time and taking a coveted Western Morning News Business Award for Innovation.
