A few weeks ago, Liz Truss waged war on the solar industry. She and her environment secretary Ranil Jayawardena announced plans to ban solar from about 41% of land area of England, equivalent to 58% of agricultural land.
The renewable technology certainly wasn’t high up on the energy crisis agenda during her short-lived premiership. But will Rishi Sunak treat the solar industry with the same level of distrust?
Chris Hewett, chief executive of trade association Solar Energy UK, said Sunak has been more selective with his language: “Whilst Liz Truss appeared to dislike the very sight of solar farms on fields, Rishi Sunak has been careful to say he wouldn’t want them on the ‘best’ farmland. This is in line with existing policy.”
You might hear a sigh of relief from an industry which, despite Government scrutiny, has experienced unprecedented demand in recent months. And it’s no surprise considering it accounts for 3.6% of global electricity generation.
Russia’s war with Ukraine is driving the trend towards decentralised energy. Increasingly people are taking matters into their own hands, integrating to keep bills at a manageable level.
In a growth sector such as Solar, it is often difficult for brands to become media commentators on stories like these and have a share of voice above competitors. Octopus Energy tackled this exact problem through a well thought out communications strategy enabling them to grow from challengers to unicorn status in the UK energy market.
Businesses across the UK are helping consumers integrate solar within homes. These are the businesses we see as being able to spearhead the conversation as we adjust to another change of leadership. Here are 5 businesses we’ve got our eyes on:
Solarwatt provides everything you need to generate, manage and store solar electricity for later use via an economically effective photovoltaic system. In August, the company partnered with Clever Energy to help support their expansion plans while meeting the growing demands for solar technologies. Solarwatt has expanded their PV panel range and inventory across the UK via a dedicated central facility in Lemington Spa according to a Solar Power Portal. These exciting developments have set the company up for an exciting couple of years.
Geo Green Power is a nationwide renewable energy company with specialist experience in solar power installation, design and maintenance. Whether you are looking for a small domestic system or something on a larger scale in a commercial or agricultural setting, Geo Green Power can advise on the best options available. Their continually growing social following is vital for engaging with their community while showcasing the projects they are working on.
Project Solar has installed over 45,000 panels and batteries while saving 150,000 tonnes of carbon to date. Their leading product, ‘SunPower Panels’, are the most efficient panels on the market across commercial, domestic and residential settings. They are renowned for their quality, reliability and use of technology positioning their products as some of the most advanced panels ever released to market. Project solar take a data driven approach to their communications. By better understanding their consumers pain points, they are able to address these issues and provide solutions for their consumers.
Solar Panel Funding helps consumers by reducing their reliance on the national grid and drastically reducing electricity bills. The company’s incentives are helping hundreds of thousands of homes to fund their solar panel system. It allows homeowners to install a new system using the money generated from savings and earnings. This eliminates the need to pay upfront for installation. They are results driven – sharing customer testimonials on video formats such as YouTube helps to increase trust from prospective customers and enables the company to continually adapt and improve their product offerings.
Solar together offer the ‘group-buying scheme’ allowing residents living in one of the participating council areas and who own their own house to begin powering their home through renewable energy. They strive to provide great value to their consumers, offering market leading products. This includes a 25-year output warranty and a ten-year product warranty. The real unique selling proposition is the bargaining power that is created by coming together as a group allowing for more competitive pricing.
If your solar company is looking to implement a communications strategy, get in touch with our team of experts today!
