ENERGY SECRETARY Ed Miliband has announced his intention to “unleash a solar rooftop revolution”.

The solar taskforce is being reactivated and will be co-chaired by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. He said: “I want to unleash a UK solar rooftop revolution. We will encourage builders and homeowners in whatever way we can to deliver this win-win technology to millions of addresses in the UK so people can provide their own electricity, cut their bills and at the same time help fight climate change.”

Miliband’s words echo those of the 2022 Independent Review of Net Zero, which called for a “solar revolution” and led to the formation of the Solar Taskforce.

Solar Roadmap

Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett co-chairs the joint government-industry body. During the previous parliament Hewett was charged with establishing the practical measures needed to reach 70GW of generation capacity by 2035.

Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett

Its Solar Roadmap was almost ready for publication when the general election was called. It will however need to be revised slightly to align with Labour’s goal of 50GW by 2030.

“I very much look forward to returning to chair the Solar Taskforce and I am sure that its expert members would echo my thoughts. A lot of the groundwork for the Solar Roadmap has been done already. I have every confidence that we will be able to publish it within a few months,” said Hewett.

“However, the new Government’s eagerness to generate more solar power means redoubling efforts to make the electricity networks fit for purpose, equip Britain’s workforce with the right skills for the solar rollout, and invest in a UK supply chain in areas like batteries, steel mounting and engineering, procurement & construction. This will ensure the UK economy really gains from the growth in clean power,” he added.

SEUK has lobbied for the Future Homes Standard to more effectively mandate the installation of solar panels on newbuild homes, to a stronger degree than current building regulations. The Future Buildings Standard does the same for non-residential buildings, helping to cut energy bills and push towards net zero.

National Planing Policy

Miliband also recently approved three large-scale solar farms, with capacity totalling 1.35GW. About two thirds of all solar generation capacity installed in the UK last year. The Sunnica project alone could deliver an estimated 1,500 new jobs.

Reforms to the planning system are also expected, reinforcing the need for solar energy in the National Planning Policy Framework. The threshold to consider solar farms as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), currently set at 50MW, will also be reviewed. This should reduce the time taken to develop and build solar farms.

The Government is also expected to loosen rules on installing rooftop solar panels on listed buildings and in conservation areas. A review of these rules began some months ago.

Together, these measures will cut energy bills, boost energy security, deliver economic growth and cut greenhouse gas emissions nationwide.

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