The Engineer - Comment: Solar PV is the new double glazing

Whether you’re outside of a 19th-century Victorian terrace house, or a new block of flats in the heart of London, you might notice one commonality – double-glazed windows.

The craze for double-glazed windows started in the 1970s, driven in part by a global fuel shortage. This energy crisis saw a big shift to home insulation, and while double glazing wasn’t a new technology, it was the obvious choice to be adopted en masse.

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Its energy efficiency benefits and enhanced safety promise saw double glazing become standard practice in UK homes, influencing regulations that now require all new builds and upgrades to be fitted with these modern windows[i]. Today, the homeowners and landlords that didn’t jump on the trend might even see diminished property values[ii].

Crises tend to fuel innovation, which is what we are witnessing now as the world comes head-to-head with the climate emergency. Whether it’s long duration energy storage, speedy electric vehicle chargers or heat pumps, crises unite the world’s best minds to drive the change we need to see.

The rising power of the sun

Today, UK businesses – responsible for 18% of the country’s total CO2 emissions[iii] – are faced with growing consumer and regulatory pressure to adopt technologies that will drive emission cuts. Much like the decisions required by homeowners in the late 20^th century, businesses have a choice to make: act now, or risk becoming outdated.

Solar, whilst not new, is the obvious choice to help drive the transition to clean energy. In fact, the first practical silicon solar cell can be traced back to the 1950s[iv]. There have of course been huge advancements since then, bolstering the technology’s energy efficiency, including the likes of solar trackers and bifacial modules which are becoming standard for large ground mount systems.

The rise of solar in the UK, underpinned by the urgent need to adopt affordable and commercially viable clean energy solutions, has also been driven by a supportive global policy landscape and ambitious UK government targets. Such a landscape, coupled with the benefits of being both the most abundant form of energy and exceptionally cost-effective, has seen solar take centre stage in clean energy investment globally, growing from $127 billion in 2013 to $382 billion by 2023, a period where investment in oil production nearly halved[v].

Despite this landscape, in recent years the UK’s clean energy investment has fallen behind that of comparable economies. Businesses have undoubtedly faced significant challenges, including up to 15-year delays to secure grid connection for utility-scale solar farms. But if the UK is to meet its targets and ultimately reach net zero, investment in solar must continue.

The obvious solution for businesses today

Businesses – big and small – have a role to play in reaching net zero; and by acting now, they can futureproof operations and avoid becoming outdated in ten years’ time. Despite the challenges, businesses of all sizes can take action today and benefit from clean energy that is typically significantly cheaper than their normal tariff.

In today’s turbulent financial and political climate, UK businesses are continuously faced with conflicting priorities. Companies need assurance that clean energy projects are good investments for them, will be delivered on time, and to a high standard.

That’s why Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have become the go-to solution for so many UK businesses. PPAs enable businesses to benefit from long-term, low-cost energy which give them certainty over supply, pricing, and origin. PPAs also enable business to work with organisations who can provide the upfront capital for the solar installations, as well as all ongoing maintenance and upkeep. Through these agreements, businesses typically only pay for the electricity generated by the solar system, at a cost significantly lower than procuring energy from the grid.

The fixed, long-term energy prices that PPAs provide protect businesses from volatile energy prices. Businesses can also fully trace their energy when a solar project is installed behind-the-meter, helping to meet Scope 2 Emissions guidance and reporting.

Solar has always been a solution that springs to mind when we think of renewable energy and now sits at the forefront of the clean energy revolution. It is already becoming a standard for businesses in the UK and globally, much like what we saw in the 1970s with double glazing. Ultimately, businesses have the choice to adopt solar today and reap the benefits, or risk becoming quickly outdated.