The UK government has unveiled a new National Solar Centre (NSC), located at St Austell in mid Cornwall, and expected to aid the development of the renewable power sector in the country.
NSC will operate as a center of excellence and will be representative of all companies in the supply chain of solar photovoltaic manufacturing while also including government departments, network operators, utilities, insurance companies, investors, landowners/agents, the construction industry, local authorities, airport authorities and potential consumers in its ambit.
Commenting at the unveiling of the NSC, UK Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change Greg Barker remarked that the solar industry had registered an impressive growth over the last two years despite facing enormous challenges.
"1.8GW of solar PV is now deployed and in operation in the UK – enough energy to power around 450,000 homes," said Barker.
NSC will be operated by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), which has technical capabilities within both the construction and solar industries.
The facility will work towards the establishment of infrastructure, development of technical standards, execution of due diligence and facilitation innovation through research and development.