With the impending contraction of the solar feed-in tariff, the race is on for those wishing to tap into the existing rates paid out to investors in solar energy in the UK. One of many hoping to set up under the current tariff regime is German manufacturer Solon who having secured a deal to construct a 408kw site in Buckinghamshire will be looking to have everything in place sooner rather than later.

The impetus to have everything in place comes from the fact that in August, the government are to make cutbacks to the feed-in tariff meaning lower yields for installations falling after that date. Meeting their construction timetable will mean client Rockspring benefitting as a large scale generator from tariff rates which will be cut for projects over 50kw through cutbacks.

Covering 1.4 hectares and employing over 1,500 modules this project is a good example of the large scale solar farms which the government is trying to push away in favour of smaller scale solar installations.

Having faced the challenge of cheap solar modules flooding the market from China and reductions in subsidies across the European Union, missing the revenues to be generated from the UK feed-in tariff would certainly be a bitter pill to swallow. In all, things are not overly rosy for the German manufacturer and missing the opportunity of revenue from the solar feed-in tariff could prove one misfortune too many.