Developing renewable energy is the key to meeting the world’s future energy demands in a sustainable way.
Solar power brings the promise of electricity to both rural and urban areas, and Halcrow has been involved in solar photovoltaic (PV) technology for over 20 years.
Through research, design and the development of guidance and standards, we have been promoting the integration of PV into buildings and the development of grid-connected systems.
In 2002 the UK government’s Department for Trade and Industry funded a major demonstration programme aimed at developing the UK photovoltaic industry. The programme allocated £20 million for the installation of small-scale (<5kWp) PV systems on 3,000 houses and large-scale (>5kWp) systems on 140 commercial buildings over a three year period.
Halcrow managed the technical development of this programme, which included analysing UK and international market trends in photovoltaics, setting quality standards for installations and ensuring those standards were implemented.
For a fledgling industry such as solar photovoltaics, it is critical that a quality system is put in place to ensure that the industry maintains a high standard in the design and installation of PV systems.
To ensure these standards were met during the demonstration programme Halcrow operated an accreditation process for installers, modules and inverters; inspected the quality of installed systems; and monitored customer reactions using questionnaires.