Through the collective strength of its members, the association is working towards the 70GW of solar by 2035 target and to build a clean energy system which benefits everyone.
It is overseen by a board of directors elected directly from the membership.
A recent election saw eight of the board seats up for grabs, which has subsequently welcomed new and re-elected members. These are:
- Matt Black, managing director at Innovo Renewables and chair of Solar Energy UK (re-elected)
- Liz MacFarlane, vice president of sales and global advisor at Segen (re-elected)
- Alex DeSouza, general counsel – EMEA at Lightsource bp
- Adam Swarbrick, head of solar and storage UK at RWE
- Hildagarde McCarville, chief executive of Anesco
- Charlotte Healey, head of solar at Statkraft
- Gareth Phillips, solicitor and partner at Pinsent Masons
- Richard Cave-Bingley, director, solar & battery at SSE Renewables
They join the five existing members of the board, Jonathan Bates of Photon Energy, Christelle Barnes from SolarEdge Technologies, Guilia Guidi from NextEnergy Group, Hannah Staab Natural Power and Thomas MacMillan from Savills.
Two more members will be co-opted onto the board in May.
Solar Energy UK chief executive, Chris Hewett, said: “It is superb to see that our members have elected a board with such a depth and breadth of talent and experience, from distribution through major utilities to planning law. The board is also the first to have a 50/50 balance of men and women, showing how the industry is moving away from a position that has been somewhat male-dominated at the senior level.”
We caught up with some of the new members to find out more about their roles and what they see as the challenges and opportunities for solar this year.
Liz MacFarlane
Vice president of sales and global board advisor, Segen Ltd. Joined in 2015 when founder Andy Pegg bought Zenex Solar Ltd, where I was co-founder and Sales Director.
How long have you been involved in Solar Energy UK?
Segen (and Zenex before that), have been members for many years right back to the days when it was called the Solar Trade Association.
Why did you decide to get involved?
I wanted to have an impact in removing barriers to entry for Solar PV, trying to create
stability in the market and to make the path smoother for quality and reliable installers, who are Segen’s main partners. I have three sons and at that time my family were young, and I wanted, as I still do, to create a cleaner environment for them long into the future. That is an especially important legacy to me.
What are you most looking forward to in this role for the coming year?
This is my second term, and I am incredibly lucky and grateful to have been re-elected. There is an increase in new installer entrants to the market, which is great news, but I want to prevent the scenario we have seen historically whereby non-qualified businesses risk damaging the reputation of the industry. The next three years will be instrumental for me and SEUK to continue to put our weight behind the Solar Roadmap to 70GW which I have been involved in designing as part of the Solar Taskforce.
I will also continue to focus on ensuring an ethical and sustainable supply chain. The Solar Stewardship Initiative forms an important part of that.
What do you think is the biggest challenge to achieving the 70GW of deployed solar target?
The biggest issues are planning and DNO delays. These issues are affecting all areas of the market.
What do you think is the priority for 2024 in advancing the net zero agenda?
I would like to see a UK, in which renewable technologies, such as solar PV, are as normal and accepted as seeing other types of infrastructure such as pylons and telegraph poles. We are quite a way from that now and unfortunately, solar is often politicised unnecessarily.
What would be your main message to our readers in the installer community?
I would say that the success of the UK industry really rests with you. Our installer network is the mass voice that truly reaches the end user. Seek to differentiate yourself from the cowboys and sell quality and service and stay away from products that do not enable you to do so.
Hildagarde McCarville
Anesco CEO. In position since January 2023
How long have you been involved in Solar Energy UK?
I have personally been involved in renewable energy for more than 15 years. Anesco as a company has been actively involved with Solar Energy UK for well over a decade. As a pioneer of solar and storage – responsible for 147 solar and battery storage plants, totalling more than 1.1GW, across the UK and Northern Europe – we have naturally built relationships with SEUK and others who share our vision for enabling and advancing a low carbon future.
Why did you decide to get involved?
I am a strong believer in the adage “change starts with me”, and in leading through action. The path towards decarbonisation must be actively driven. It requires commitment, innovation, co-operation, perseverance, representation and a holistic approach.
Such change can only happen with key players, including government and industry, working together to create a strategic roadmap. That is why I decided to join the SEUK board, which will be for a three-year term, to commit my time, experience and passion to progressing the UK’s target of 70GW of solar by 2035.
What are you most looking forward to in this role for the coming year?
Solar has a pivotal role to play in tackling many of the major economic and societal challenges facing us today – from long term energy security to fuel poverty and decarbonisation – and against the backdrop of a deepening climate crisis, there really is no time to lose. I look forward to working alongside the Solar Energy UK team and my fellow board members to represent industry, champion the growth of solar (both rooftop and ground mounted) and accelerate the change that is needed..
What do you think is the biggest challenge to achieving the 70GW of deployed solar target?
The biggest challenge is grid capacity. Our current transmission and distribution systems were simply not designed to support decentralised, intermittent generators like renewables. The current lead time for a connection date is 10 years and whilst we welcome government proposals to reduce this to five years, the speed of execution of these specific reforms is critical.
Thereafter, the shift towards the electrification of heat and localised energy production (be that rooftop or ground mounted solar), against a backdrop of changing consumer needs, highlights the need for real time data management and a move from the legacy analogue system to a modern, holistic digitalised energy system. This would enable more accurate modelling, prioritisation of projects, and congestion and curtailment management.
What do you think is the priority for 2024 in advancing the net zero agenda?
Policy reforms which have a clear agenda to reduce lead times for both the planning process and grid infrastructure upgrades and connections. The current system blockers can only be addressed through investment in policy reform. Initiatives such as “connect or move” are critical in order to remove zombie projects that will never be realised and are delaying viable alternatives, along with an increase in skilled resources e.g. planning inspectorates.
What would be your main message to our readers in the installer community?
As of January 2024, the UK’s total solar capacity stood at 15.7 GW. With four-fold growth anticipated, this market provides huge opportunities for employers and employees. 70GW is the target that we must reach, but it requires collaboration, focus and effort on the part of all stakeholders, as no one party can achieve this target alone. Hence, my belief in leveraging all our collective strength and knowledge through Solar Energy UK to make this target a reality.
Charlotte Healey
Head of Solar at Statkraft since early 2023. I’ve been at Statkraft since 2018, joining during the acquisition of Element Power, where I worked as a project director. Before moving into solar development, I worked on onshore wind for around ten years.
How long have you been involved in Solar Energy UK?
Around two years
Why did you decide to get involved?
It’s important to me that we look at the wider benefits of solar projects not just for the natural environmental but also for the wider community. Solar Energy UK is a great platform that brings developers together to work on behalf of the industry to promote clean energy.
What are you most looking forward to in this role for the coming year?
I want to use my position to challenge some of the misconceptions and misunderstanding about solar developments. I think people don’t always realise the significant environmental benefits that solar projects can bring, alongside the obvious cheaper, clean electricity they generate. I think I can play a similar role as part of the Board. I have been developing renewable projects for nearly twenty years and understand the challenges and opportunities they bring.
What do you think is the biggest challenge to achieving the 70GW of deployed solar target?
Being able to connect to the grid is a challenge for all developers in the industry. The increase in costs from planning to construction is also something that we need to take into consideration..
What do you think is the priority for 2024 in advancing the net zero agenda?
Finding timely and appropriate grid connections can be challenging, so if we resolved this, we’d be able to build and deploy our projects quicker, generating more clean, renewable electricity.
What would be your main message to our readers in the installer community?
Developers and those with solar projects proposed in their neighbourhoods can be confident that they have public support, that solar farms have the potential to bring a multitude of benefits to local people and wildlife, and that their presence is improving UK energy security and helping to safeguard our planet for future generations.
Richard Cave-Bigley
Director of Solar & Battery, SSE Renewables overseeing a dedicated team of 110 energy professionals delivering a 3GW pipeline of projects. Richard joined SSE in 2017
How long have you been involved in Solar Energy UK?
Over the past 18 months SSE Renewables has been a member of SEUK, and more recently a sponsor member. Our team attend steering and working groups across the organisation. We also support the skills sub-committee of the Solar Taskforce and helped with the foundation of the Solar Stewardship Initiative. Richard was recently elected to the Solar Energy UK Board.
Why did you decide to get involved?
This is a critical time in the development of the sector given its role in providing clean and secure energy. I can also provide particular support to SEUK in building its capability in the growing battery sector given my role across both solar and battery storage at SSE Renewables.
What are you most looking forward to in this role for the coming year?
I am determined that as an industry we focus on safety and sustainability and ensure that our supply chains are as transparent as possible. We need to work with government, communities and all stakeholders to ensure solar and battery storage can play their part in helping the UK get to net zero.
What do you think is the biggest challenge to achieving the 70GW of deployed solar target?
Grid connections and securing consents. We need to ensure that the right projects are able to be delivered at the right time otherwise we will not get anywhere near the 70GW target. It’s incumbent on developers like us to bring forward good solar projects. As SSE Renewables we want to keep investing £4m a day in low carbon infrastructure across the board.
What do you think is the priority for 2024 in advancing the net zero agenda?
On a global level clearly 2024 is a big year across the globe in terms of elections. We must keep making the case for net zero to counter the polarisation of the green agenda. I think at a local level there’s a lot we need to do to win over communities that we need to build carefully considered net zero infrastructure in their neighbourhoods to tackle climate change.
What would be your main message to our readers in the installer community?
Battery storage has a vital role to play in unlocking the path to net zero. We want to work with suppliers who share our desire for a transparent, fair and sustainable supply chain. We also all have to keep making the case for battery storage and why its flexibility can help us back up and get more intermittent renewable generation onto the system.
Image credit: Solar Energy UK
