UK on the eve of solar energy breakthroughIn the UK, the solar energy market has picked up sharply. The UK government reported on its official channels on 26 May this year that already more than one million homes have solar panels on their roofs, powering families. Since the government passed new building regulations in spring 2022, the pressure for consumers to install solar panels has only increased. New-build homes must produce about 31% less carbon dioxide than they do now. They are the precursor to a set of regulations that will be much stricter still, such as the Future Homes Standard, which takes effect in 2025 and reduces permitted emissions by 80%. According to the Solar Energy UK association, this target could lead to a five-fold increase in the number of new-build homes with solar panels.
A logical stepSo after expanding into South Africa, Belgium and Germany, Soly now decides to enter the UK market. Milan van der Meulen, co-founder of Soly: “The Netherlands is the leader in solar panels in Europe. To answer that demand, we are smart and fully digital as an organisation. We are now demonstrating this in other countries as well. England is still on the eve of mass adoption of solar panels. The market is hugely fragmented by local installers in particular. The result? Long waiting times and sky-high prices. That does not fit with our mission: solar energy should be accessible to everyone. With our modern organisation, we are going to make a difference for UK consumers. Besides solar panels, we will simultaneously install a home battery, charging station and the Soly Brain, our energy management system.”
Soly is rolling out its service in the UK in a partnership with Shell Energy. Shell Energy supplies energy to around 1.4 million households in the UK. Elvin Nagamootoo, Head of Product – Energy, Shell Energy Retail said: “Our collaboration with Soly provides households in the UK a much-needed opportunity to switch to cleaner energy, and save on their annual electricity bill. The partnership with Soly builds on our support for customers looking to make cleaner energy choices. We have launched a free telephone advice line to support households seeking better understanding on solar panels and other cleaner energy choices.”
