The UK solar industry, once a shining example of the nation’s commitment to renewable energy is now facing turbulent times. The removal of government incentives in 2017 has left many companies needing help to maintain profitability, plus the economic outlook remains uncertain, with interest rates and inflation impacting financial stability.
Here are some of the critical issues facing solar companies:
· Installation challenges: inadequate and unsafe installation of solar equipment poses significant dangers, both financially and in terms of potential threats to life. Incorrect installation increases the risk of panels dislodging during storms or high winds.
· Monitoring and maintenance: Regular upkeep is necessary to maintain efficiency and prevent breakdowns
· Policy uncertainty: The solar industry has been significantly impacted by policy changes. In addition, frequent changes in regulations and planning permissions create an unstable environment for investment. Large scale solar farms often face opposition due to land use.
· Economic pressures: Higher interest rates and stricter financing conditions have increased the cost of borrowing for solar businesses to secure the capital needed for expansion and operations.
· Grid connectivity and storage: The intermittent nature of solar energy requires efficient storage solutions or grid exports to balance supply and demand.
· Global market dynamics: The solar market industry is not isolated from global market trends Trade protection tariffs on imported solar products have increased costs and disrupted supply chains.
Some countries are already experiencing the effects of this crisis. In the Netherlands, energy companies are increasingly imposing feed-in charges for solar power. If this trend spreads to more countries it could severely affect the break- even point for solar investments.
In the US, the solar industry is struggling despite initial optimism. High interest rates, increased costs for hardware and labour, and local opposition have slowed the progress of solar projects. As a result over 100 US solar companies declared bankruptcy in 2023.
In Europe, the solar sector faces stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers, whose subsidised panels have driven down prices and led to bankruptcies among EU solar companies.
The wave of bankruptcies in the solar industry is not confined to a single region or market. It is a widespread phenomenon affecting multiple areas particularly in the United States. California, a key player in the US solar market has been particularly hard hit. A policy change and broader financing shifts have led to an 80% reduction in rooftop solar installation volume. The California solar and Storage Association reports thousands of stalled projects and 17,000 industry layoffs.
In Europe we have seen 8 solar supply chain companies restructure loans, halt production, file for bankruptcy or warn of impending faculty closures. Swiss company Meyer Burger Technologies saw its shares plummet by 87% over 12 months and recently announced the closure of one of Europe’s largest module production sites. Smaller players have been disproportionally affected, needing more financial buffers than larger firms to absorb increased costs. This disparity has led to a wave of closures among smaller players.
Homeowners with ongoing installations face uncertainty and potential delays. Those with existing warranty or service agreements may need support. In the short term this may lead to reduced competition, potentially impacting pricing and service quality in the solar market.
In the USA, 19 solar companies have been bankrupted between 2023 and 2025. Another 60 in the same time have gone out of business. This means home-owners with ongoing installations face uncertainty and potential delays.
There’s more bad news. Solar farm components are starting to fail after only 10 to 15 years. It’s the inverters which are causing problems. Solar panels produce direct current and voltage. This has to be converted to alternating current AC, and this is what an inverter does. The trouble is most of the manufacturers who made the inverters have gone out of business. It is estimated that 37% of the inverters in the US will approach the 15-year mark within the next five years, so there will be a substantial need to retrofit solar facilities.
As well as inverters, there will be a need to replace broken panels, and fix wiring. These could tax a solar supply chain and then it could be challenging to dispose of the panels that may be removed and replaced. Then again, panels may have to be replaced due to severe weather. The question is where do the old panels go? The demand for used panels has decreased markedly and so most will end up in landfills. This is much cheaper than attempting to recycle.
What can happen to solar panels in a storm
In the UK, storm Darragh in 2024 highlighted the vulnerabilities of renewable energy infrastructure in extreme weather events. The Porth Wen solar farm in Anglesea , North Wales, which spans 190 acres and is only two years old, sustained severe damage. Hundreds of solar panels were blown off their mountings, many torn to shreds, while a wind turbine was completely destroyed.
The destruction at Porth Wen underscores the need for stronger design and engineering standards to protect renewable energy facilities.
Below is a picture of the damage done by storm Darrah at Porth Wen.
The New Zealand Situation
Solar Zero, one of the country’s largest solar providers announced in 2024 that it had gone into liquidation, citing unsustainable operating losses and liquidity constraints. The company owns about one third of all New Zealand’s solar installations. The company received $80 million in funds from the Government’s NZ Green Investment Fund last year. (Who knew such a fund existed, and where has all that money gone? ) The company employed over 160 staff.
The liquidation follows unsuccessful attempts to restructure the business and secure financial stability. Solar Zero was unable to find a viable solution to sustain the business. They stated “From day one the company’s mission was to make solar energy affordable and STOP CLIMATE CHANGE”.
Just how were they planning to stop natural processes? Did they think solar panels would do it?
They further added: “We remain optimistic for New Zealand’s transition to becoming 100 renewable.”
100% renewable is never going to happen.
There is some good news, however. Forest and Bird is opposing plans to build what is believed would be the biggest solar farm in the country in the environmentally significant and fragile MacKenzie Basin, situated about 8km East of Twizel. This farm would cover a huge 670 Ha and see 736,866 solar panels stationed on 28,000 tables. Its location, between two rivers, is significant habitat for birds, lizards and invertebrates, including the black stilt. Although Forest and Bird supports renewable energy development, they say it is crucial that renewable energy proposals happen in appropriate locations and in the right way. Otherwise, development comes at the excessively high cost of lost indigenous biodiversity or characteristics that contribute to outstanding natural landscapes like this part of the Mackenzie Country.
Well, at least some greenies in NZ care about birds, animals and insects. All the time, the NZ Green party in parliament keeps silent. They are not interested in the large whales killed by the installation of offshore wind farms. Nor the billions (by now), of birds and bats sliced up by wind turbines. They are not worried by many hectares of good farmland taken out of production by solar and wind farms. So it goes on. Supporting a Palestine state is more important to them.
Finally, an example of huge wastage of materials and money
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant located in the Mojave Desert at the base of Clark Mountain in California. Fields of heliostat mirrors focus sunlight on boilers located on three towers 140 m high. The steam from the boilers drives turbines which produce electricity. But here is the irony: The plant burns natural gas each morning to commence operation. It was found one hour of natural gas was not enough to get the steam up. The state of California gave approval for four times the amount of gas. THIS EMITTED 46,000 TONNES OF CARBON DIOXIDE!
Solar Zero, one of the country’s largest solar providers announced in 2024 that it had gone into liquidation, citing unsustainable operating losses and liquidity constraints. The company owns about one third of all New Zealand’s solar installations. The company received $80 million in funds from the Government’s NZ Green Investment Fund last year. (Who knew such a fund existed, and where has all that money gone? ) The company employed over 160 staff.
The liquidation follows unsuccessful attempts to restructure the business and secure financial stability. Solar Zero was unable to find a viable solution to sustain the business. They stated “From day one the company’s mission was to make solar energy affordable and STOP CLIMATE CHANGE”.
Just how were they planning to stop natural processes? Did they think solar panels would do it?
They further added: “We remain optimistic for New Zealand’s transition to becoming 100 renewable.”
100% renewable is never going to happen.
There is some good news, however. Forest and Bird is opposing plans to build what is believed would be the biggest solar farm in the country in the environmentally significant and fragile MacKenzie Basin, situated about 8km East of Twizel. This farm would cover a huge 670 Ha and see 736,866 solar panels stationed on 28,000 tables. Its location, between two rivers, is significant habitat for birds, lizards and invertebrates, including the black stilt. Although Forest and Bird supports renewable energy development, they say it is crucial that renewable energy proposals happen in appropriate locations and in the right way. Otherwise, development comes at the excessively high cost of lost indigenous biodiversity or characteristics that contribute to outstanding natural landscapes like this part of the Mackenzie Country.
Well, at least some greenies in NZ care about birds, animals and insects. All the time, the NZ Green party in parliament keeps silent. They are not interested in the large whales killed by the installation of offshore wind farms. Nor the billions (by now), of birds and bats sliced up by wind turbines. They are not worried by many hectares of good farmland taken out of production by solar and wind farms. So it goes on. Supporting a Palestine state is more important to them.
Finally, an example of huge wastage of materials and money
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a concentrated solar thermal plant located in the Mojave Desert at the base of Clark Mountain in California. Fields of heliostat mirrors focus sunlight on boilers located on three towers 140 m high. The steam from the boilers drives turbines which produce electricity. But here is the irony: The plant burns natural gas each morning to commence operation. It was found one hour of natural gas was not enough to get the steam up. The state of California gave approval for four times the amount of gas. THIS EMITTED 46,000 TONNES OF CARBON DIOXIDE!
Picture shows one of the three towers with water tank at the top, all surrounded by a sea of mirrors.
The project received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the US Dept of Energy. The estimated cost of construction fell between that of coal and nuclear power plants.
In 2014 the Associated Press reported that the facility was producing only half of its expected annual output. The California Energy Commission blamed this on clouds and the weather. NO SUN, NO POWER. How many times does this need to be said.
In the quarterly report of 2014 it was said that Ivanpah would likely not meet its contractual obligations to provide power during the year. In March 2016 the Pacific Gas and Electricity Company agreed not to declare the plant in default in return for an undisclosed sum from the owners.
There have been environmental concerns. The project was built on 16 sq km of land. There was an impact on desert tortoises. Fences were installed to keep wild life out of the area, but many tortoises had to be relocated. In April 2014 it was reported by the US Wildlife Service that 141 dead birds, including peregrine falcon, barn owl, and yellow-rumped warbler had been collected at Ivanpah in October 2013. The bright lights of Ivanpah attracted insects which in turn attracted birds which fly to their death in the intensely focussed light rays. In September 2016 federal biologists said about 6000 birds die per year, from collisions or immolation while chasing insects around the facility’s towers.
But this very expensive project which hasn’t delivered, is coming to an end. The project will be switched off next year, 2026.
THE STATE HAS SPLASHED $2.2 BILLION ON THE IVANPAH SOLAR FACILITY. It was hoped that that the state would be able to cash in on the money it saved that would have been spent on fossil fuels. But what it has delivered since 2014 has been in stark contrast to what was anticipated.
Ivanpah stands as a testament to the waste and inefficiency of government subsidised energy schemes said Jason Isaac the CEO of American Energy Institute.
Ian Bradford, a science graduate, is a former teacher, lawyer, farmer and keen sportsman, who is writing a book about the fraud of anthropogenic climate change.
The project received a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the US Dept of Energy. The estimated cost of construction fell between that of coal and nuclear power plants.
In 2014 the Associated Press reported that the facility was producing only half of its expected annual output. The California Energy Commission blamed this on clouds and the weather. NO SUN, NO POWER. How many times does this need to be said.
In the quarterly report of 2014 it was said that Ivanpah would likely not meet its contractual obligations to provide power during the year. In March 2016 the Pacific Gas and Electricity Company agreed not to declare the plant in default in return for an undisclosed sum from the owners.
There have been environmental concerns. The project was built on 16 sq km of land. There was an impact on desert tortoises. Fences were installed to keep wild life out of the area, but many tortoises had to be relocated. In April 2014 it was reported by the US Wildlife Service that 141 dead birds, including peregrine falcon, barn owl, and yellow-rumped warbler had been collected at Ivanpah in October 2013. The bright lights of Ivanpah attracted insects which in turn attracted birds which fly to their death in the intensely focussed light rays. In September 2016 federal biologists said about 6000 birds die per year, from collisions or immolation while chasing insects around the facility’s towers.
But this very expensive project which hasn’t delivered, is coming to an end. The project will be switched off next year, 2026.
THE STATE HAS SPLASHED $2.2 BILLION ON THE IVANPAH SOLAR FACILITY. It was hoped that that the state would be able to cash in on the money it saved that would have been spent on fossil fuels. But what it has delivered since 2014 has been in stark contrast to what was anticipated.
Ivanpah stands as a testament to the waste and inefficiency of government subsidised energy schemes said Jason Isaac the CEO of American Energy Institute.
Ian Bradford, a science graduate, is a former teacher, lawyer, farmer and keen sportsman, who is writing a book about the fraud of anthropogenic climate change.
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