The UK Government’s Plan to Boost Solar Power
While the UK may not be known as the sunniest country, solar energy has significant potential to reduce its environmental impact and boost energy independence.
The UK has 18 GW of installed solar capacity, and the government aims to increase this to between 45 to 47 GW by 2030.
To support this ambition, the UK Solar Taskforce was set up and it has now published the UK Solar Roadmap.
The roadmap says that reaching this solar target would only require around 0.4% of UK land area for ground-mounted solar, with significant additional potential for rooftops.
Chris Stark, Head of UK’s Mission for Clean Power at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, says: “Solar generation is the best example of a clean technology that can bring substantial bill savings and energy system benefits at multiple scales, from household rooftops to efficient, well-sited installations on the scale of whole power stations.
“The Clean Power Action Plan seeks 45-47GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, a once-in-a-generation increase.
“This will only be possible with a mission-focus, industry and government working in partnership to grow solar at pace and fundamental reforms to the queue of projects waiting to connect to the grid.”
A variety of companies supported the development of this roadmap, including:
- EDF Renewables
- Lightsource bp
- Mitie
- National Grid
- Octopus Energy
- SSE Renewables
Key solar objectives in the UK
Beyond the goal of reaching 45-47 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, the roadmap says that this could expand to reach 54-57 GW if system needs and rooftop solar deployment allow.
The solar sector is expected to support around 35,000 jobs by 2030, doubling current employment.
Expanding solar energy in the UK will reduce the country’s reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets.
This, therefore, could lower energy bills and support the UK’s energy independence.
Rooftop solar
More than 1.5 million homes across the country have solar installed and the roadmap wants this to grow.
“We will push ahead on a solar rooftop revolution, while tackling the barriers of planning, grid, supply chains and skills,” says Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Co-Chair of the UK Solar Taskforce.
“Publishing this roadmap is just the beginning of our journey – and we will establish a joint Government and industry Solar Council to drive progress towards our ambitions.”
The taskforce estimates that the typical UK home could save around £500 (US$685) per year from installing rooftop solar.
One of the main challenges facing rooftop solar deployment was the need for planning permission for installations with more than 1 MW of generation capacity, but the government has removed this cap to simplify planning processes.
According to the report, upfront costs are a key barrier to some households deploying rooftop solar.
The roadmap sets out initiatives for both new and existing homes to overcome some of these barriers, including through the Warm Home Plans and Future Homes Standard.
Electricity networks
As more renewable energy projects are developed, the number of grid connection requests has surged, both at transmission and distribution levels.
This demand has created a connection queue and can lead to projects being delayed or even cancelled.
“The Government is therefore committed to a fundamental and urgent reform of the connections process, as set out in the Clean Power Action Plan,” the report reads.
This plan includes connections capacity allocations for solar for 2030 and 2035 to help align the queue with 2030 Clean Power.
Ofgem is also conducting an end-to-end review of the connections process to improve timely delivery and customer service, covering all sizes of connections including domestic solar panels.
Chris Hewett, CEO of Solar Energy UK, says: “Solar energy is among the lowest cost, and most popular forms of power generation in the UK and unlocking its potential will increase Britain’s energy security, drive down bills as well as be a major contributor to preventing dangerous climate change.
“The fact that it can be deployed rapidly in so many ways from household rooftops, to warehouses, to reservoirs and large-scale solar farms, is the key ingredient to this potential.”
Solar supply chains
Solar supply chains can be complex and global, with polysilicon needed for the manufacturing of solar panels.
The report says that the government is determined to “eradicate the abhorrent practice of modern slavery and its commitment to ensuring that supply chains are free from the use of forced labour, including on members of Uyghur and other minorities in Xinjiang involved in the mining of polysilicon used in the manufacture of solar panels”.
Measures are set to be added to the Great British Energy Bill to ensure slavery and human trafficking do not take place in its business or supply chains.
The government also aims to empower contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from government contracts who have committed labour market misconduct or environmental offences.
“While the UK is unlikely to be able to compete in the existing global market for conventional solar panels, there is scope to grow industries producing balance of system components,” the report says.
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