Utilities can help SMEs cut energy costs by providing services tailored to their needs as they are turning to them to relieve the burden.

That’s according to a new survey by consultancy group Accenture which revealed the majority (85%) of SMEs expect solutions targeted to their business needs but only 27% believe they are receiving a tailored experience.

As many as 96% of respondents said they would be interested in specific services for SMEs and more than a third (35%) said they would be willing to pay a premium for such services. 65% also said they would be interested in products that would allow them to generate their own electricity such as solar panels and wind turbines.

However, less than a third (27%) of SMEs trust their utility to inform them about actions they can take to optimise their energy usage, with 65% saying they would consider a non-traditional energy provider such as a retailer, energy broker or an online site for purchasing energy efficient products if that would help cut energy bills.

Greg Guthridge, Global Managing Director for Accenture Energy Consumer Services said: “In this era of economic uncertainty and fundamental change in the evolving energy marketplace, utilities have an incredible opportunity to engage these often-neglected SMEs, which have long been considered the backbone of economic growth.”

More than two-thirds of businesses said they would also switch providers if that helps them cut bills.

Spain clearly reigns in Europe when it comes to concentrated solar power as new figures show more than 99% of the continent’s projects are situated in the sunny nation.

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors or lenses to reflect the sun’s rays onto a single point where it is used to heat up a liquid, produce steam and turn turbines to generate electricity.

By the end of 2011, there were 1,960 megawatts of electricity from commercial solar plants installed in the EU, with 99% of these in Spain. Spanish electricity production from CSP hit 3,432 GWh in 2012, more than doubling the previous year’s figure according to EurObserve’ER, a research group backed by the European Commission.

However despite Spain’s dominance thee new ‘Barometer‘ report suggests a recent moratorium on renewable energy power plants brought in by the Spanish government has dented the sector.

The report suggests Spain is likely to “lose the lead” in CSP it has enjoyed over the rest of the world to the United States which is making a “strong comeback” with 1,239MW worth of power being built at the moment.

It goes on to claim the European concentrated solar power plant sector is “steeling itself for tough times ahead” after a “bumper” twelve months. The report states: “The number of projects under construction is a pittance compared with 2012 [which] was an excellent year for installations (an extra 802.5MW of capacity [was] recorded.)”

Indian energy giant Tata Power said it plans to add up to 250MW of renewable energy in the country every year.

The company has aimed for 30-35MW of solar power and 150-200MW of wind energy a year and has also set a target of generating 20-25% of it total generation capacity from clean energy sources by 2020.

Its total generation through clean sources, including hydro, wind and solar currently stands at 873MW.

Managing Director Anil Sardana, said: “Our solar and wind energy assets are performing well and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint through clean and renewable energy generation.”

Tata Power has a total operational solar capacity of more than 28MW and total installed wind capacity of 397MW.

The firm has also saved nearly eight lakh energy units – more than enough to power 372 homes – through its energy conservation programme.

Japan could install $20 billion (£13.15bn) worth of solar systems and could become the “world’s largest” PV market in terms of revenue this year.

New research by analysts at IHS revealed a total of 1.5GW worth of solar systems were installed in the first quarter of this year, up from 0.4GW the same time last year. Although Japan is forecast to have fewer installations compared to China, the high prices of PV systems in Japan could help increase revenue, the analysts claim.

They predict the growth to continue increasing this year as demand for solar energy is forecast to double. They expect Japan’s share of global PV system revenue to rise to 24% this year, up from 24% last year and just 9% in 2011.

Sam Wilkinson, Solar Research Manager at IHS said: “Following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that led to the shutdown of nuclear facilities and a shortage of electricity, Japan has aggressively moved to promote solar energy. Japan’s Government has introduced a highly attractive feed-in tariff (FIT) to help stimulate solar growth.

“In contrast, the European market that historically has led global solar demand is slowing as regional market conditions become less attractive. The deceleration in Europe and the implementation of the FIT in Japan are combining to propel the country to the top of the global solar market this year.”

A UK investor group focused on buying solar projects is looking to raise £150 million by launching a new investment fund on the London Stock Exchange.

Bluefield Partners announced its plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of shares this summer through its Solar Income Fund.

The fund will focus on large-scale agricultural and industrial solar assets and aims to provide “long-term stable distributions” to its investors.

John Rennocks, the proposed Non-Executive Chairman of the Fund said: “Solar energy should play an important part in the UK’s energy mix going forward. The predictable, long term revenue characteristics of solar power supported by regulated subsidy offer an attractive way for investors to not only generate an attractive yield but also support the deployment of more environmentally friendly energy sources – a win/win for investors and the environment.”

Earlier this year an investment fund focused on buying wind farms in the UK raised more than its original target and new research predicted renewables investment could jump 230% over the next two decades.

The United States has knocked China off the top perch in a table which ranks nations on how attractive they are for renewable energy investment.

The US reclaimed the top spot in Ernst&Young’s latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices (RECAI) after surprisingly losing out to China a couple of years ago.

China dropped into second place because of high barriers to entry for external investors although the analysts say growth prospects for the sector in China remain “strong”.

Elsewhere South America rises in prominence partly because of its growing energy demand, with the report highlighting Chile’s project pipeline which includes 300MW-400MW worth of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants.

The Chilean government’s cross-party agreement on key energy legislation should “boost investment in transmission networks and geothermal exploration” and cement its ambitious target of 20% renewable energy by 2024, states the report. Peru entered the index for the first time, due to good natural resources and a strong investment climate.

India is said to be “back on track” after the reintroduction of a scheme to encourage wind power while Saudi Arabia has just dusted off its largest solar PV project to date.

In contrast European nations appear to be stalling, suggests the RECAI report, with Romania the latest to slash subsidies, while several Middle East and North Africa countries including Egypt, Tunisia and the UAE, have fallen out of the top 40 due to a slow recovery from the Arab Spring and an absence of clear policy frameworks.

You go on holiday to relax, unwind and crucially, forget about work for a few blissful days in the sun. But I should have known better – I can never switch off from energy.

Arriving late at night to the small, bustling town of Fethiye on the southern coast of Turkey last week, it was only when the dawn came that I saw them: hundreds, even thousands of solar panels.

Gazing from the hillside view of my apartment, virtually every building or block of flats below (apart from the dozen or so silver-roofed mosques) was crowned by the somewhat ugly combo of a solar panel and a big metal drum or two.

It was as if a plague of square-eyed insects had descended on the town. I was intrigued. Back in Britain, despite the originally generous solar power Feed-in Tariff which the Government offers people to get solar panels, they are still a relative rarity. Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places but I’ve never seen a whole town adorned by the things.

While I looked on, one man even risked a several-story-high plunge by ascending his red tiled rooftop to paint it white – presumably so it reflected more of the sun’s rays towards the device. There were clearly different brands competing for customers, going by the variety of names printed on the water drums.

It makes sense in a place where electricity prices are much higher, relatively speaking, when compared with average incomes. Turkish electricity prices are certainly lower than the UK’s while gas prices are around half as much, according to Eurostat. But as for income, the EU fact body’s most recent stats for Turkey (2006) show the median net income was 2,372 euros. The UK’s for that year was 19,403 euros.

Quizzing a burly but friendly taxi driver later that week, I wondered whether it was a government scheme which had seen so many people plump for ‘Solar Enerji’.

But no, it was the people who wanted cheaper water heating, he told me: “It’s free hot water. It would be crazy not to.”

From the sounds of it the powers that be actively prevent people from using solar power for electricity.

“We can only use them for hot water,” he said dismissively, suggesting the authorities want to keep cash flowing in from electricity prices, throwing in: “This Government sucks.”

Whether or not that’s the Turkish Government’s official line on solar power, it certainly puts the UK’s much-maligned energy officials into perspective. It seems the Turkish delight in solar panels stretches only as far as they are allowed to.

Householders across Britain will be able to get more cash for renewable heating projects, the Government announced yesterday.

DECC has increased money off vouchers available for people switching to renewable heat from traditional systems: £2,300 for ground source heat pumps (up from £1,250), £2,000 for biomass boilers (up from £950), £1,300 for air source heat pumps (up from £850) and £600 for solar thermal (up from £300).

They are part of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) scheme designed to encourage householders to move away from traditional heating systems by offering money off the cost of the equipments. It is targeted at those living off the gas grid, where most money on bills and carbon can be saved.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “Over 10,000 householders have already taken advantage of money off renewable heating kit and we want to see even more consumers stepping up to the plate and getting on board.

“But I want to go even further. I want to kick start this exciting new market for consumer renewable heat technologies. This time limited, big increase in the value of vouchers for hardworking people who want to do something positive to install money saving green heating in their homes, should be a real boost for this growing green sector.”

Householders will be required to undertake a Green Deal assessment before submitting a claim to the Energy Saving Trust to redeem their vouchers.

The Solar Trade Association (STA) said the announcement is great news for solar heating.

Stuart Elmes, Chair of the STA’s Solar Thermal Working Group added: “This announcement is, at last, a tangible demonstration of Government’s oft-proclaimed commitment to domestic renewable heat technologies. Many within industry had wavered in their belief that they would ever see a domestic RHI! We now need to get the good news out there and let householders know that solar heating is more affordable.”

Earlier this month, the Government also announced a £6 million renewable heat fund for social landlords.

Asda’s owner Walmart has announced the completion of eight new PV projects in Massachusetts – expanding its solar footprint in the country.

Almost 10,000 panels have been installed on the rooftops of eight of the US supermarket giant’s stores, which are expected to generate a total of 2.8 million kWh and cut more than 1,400 metric tons of carbon emissions every year.

David Ozment, Senior Director of Energy at Walmart said: “The stores in Massachusetts demonstrate our commitment to increasing the share of renewable energy that powers our stores and improving energy efficiency. We believe in helping our customers live better by providing every day low cost and more environmentally friendly alternatives like renewables. It’s our goal to eventually be supplied by 100% renewable energy.”

Renewable energy projects provide one billion kWh – or around 4% – of electricity every year for Walmart buildings globally.

Global investment banking firm Goldman Sachs is backing a $500 million (£326.7m) fund for PV projects in the US – believed to be the “largest” rooftop solar financing agreement in the country.

The fund will help install around 110MW of rooftop solar installations in California, Arizona and other states where renewable company SolarCity operates. Homes and businesses will be able to install PV arrays with no upfront cost and pay less for clean electricity than they currently do.

Stuart Bernstein, Global Head of Clean Technology and Renewables at Goldman Sachs said: “We are excited about the opportunity in distributed solar, which has the potential to both lower energy costs and create jobs. Our firm has set a target of $40 billion (£26bn) in financings and investments in renewable energy over the next decade and we believe SolarCity’s range of distributed solar solutions targeting a wider customer base will help us move toward a low carbon energy future.”

SolarCity has already installed around a quarter of the solar systems financed by the fund and the firm plans to install the rest by the end of this year.