The ‘untapped potential’ of commercial buildings could revolutionize UK solar power according to new plans

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Schools, warehouses and parking lots could be at the forefront of a revolution in affordable solar power, according to plans discussed at the first meeting of the government’s new Solar Task Force.

The government has a clear target to increase solar capacity by almost five times to 70 GW by 2035 as part of broader plans to power Britain with cleaner, cheaper and more secure sources of energy.

Even when this comes to pass, the UK would be using only a very small proportion of its land mass for solar panels.

Already over a million UK homes have solar panels installed on their roofs, providing reliable power for homes across the UK while significantly reducing consumer bills and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK. the entire country as part of the growth of our economy.

However, the task force, led by Energy Minister Graham Stuart and Solar Energy UK CEO Chris Hewett, highlighted the untapped potential of commercial buildings, schools, warehouses and car parks, as well as the possibility of floating solar energy

The government has pledged to set up a task force to push for further growth in solar power as part of lighting up britainaccepting the recommendation made by Chris Skidmore in his Independent Net Zero Review identifying how the UK could meet its net zero commitments in an affordable and efficient way.

Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero Graham Stuart said:

“Homes across the UK are already doing their part to provide cleaner, cheaper and safer sources of energy with solar panels on their roofs, but with acres of rooftop space in car parks and supermarkets in every community, we can do even more.

This new task force dedicated to solar energy will take a laser-like approach to lowering costs and breaking down barriers to harnessing the sun’s power in every way possible, all while using a small fraction of the land in this country.

Doing so will make a significant contribution to boosting our energy security, lowering people’s bills and providing jobs in the long term.”

Chris Hewett, CEO of Solar Energy UK and co-chair of the Taskforce, said:

“Installing rooftop solar, whether on a residential or commercial scale, is one of the best investments available, offering dramatic savings on energy bills and the opportunity to get paid to send excess power back to the grid. The benefits can also be greatly enhanced by adding a battery storage system.

Solar power is the most popular form of power generation with the British public and consumer demand has never been higher, although the rate of rooftop installation needs to double to help reach 70 GW by 2035. The amount of Solar parks will also have to increase significantly.

I am delighted that we now have industry leaders working directly with the government to solve the obstacles and maximize the benefits that solar energy offers to the nation”.

Part of the discussion at their first meeting was how to further push for rooftop installation, such as enabling cost reductions for homes and businesses looking to install solar panels, so they can further reap the benefits of solar energy, such as reducing your bills.

This would come on top of in-ground solar panels, with the Task Force coming together so that the solar and agricultural sectors can support each other to meet energy security goals and maintain our country’s food security.

The working group also discussed plans for:

• publish a solar roadmap by 2024 to drive the actions needed to meet the UK’s ambition to increase solar capacity by almost five times by 2035
• upskill and expand the solar workforce to meet rising levels of demand, while creating well-paying long-term employment opportunities for Britain
• identify opportunities to ensure resilient supply chains and innovation within the global marketplace, helping to create opportunities for UK companies to export their expertise around the world

The task force will support the UK solar industry at a time when it is going from strength to strength:

• Over 99% of the UK’s solar capacity, both on the ground and on rooftops, has been installed since May 2010, which is equivalent to powering nearly 4 million homes.
• in 2020, the solar industry supported 11,500 jobs nationwide, and now that number is expected to be even higher
• More than 19,000 smaller-scale rooftop installations were completed in March of this year, at a rate of more than 500 per day. If this continues, there will be 230,000 installs by 2023, surpassing the current record set in 2011.

Ben Fawcett, Head of Solar at EDF Renewables UK and a member of the Solar Taskforce, said:

“If we are to achieve our net-zero ambitions, we must drive deployment of all types of solar, from rooftops to small and large utility-scale solar farms.

By bringing government and industry together, the Solar Taskforce is a big step in the right direction as we work hard to unlock the potential of solar power in the UK.”

Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, which represents UK power network operators, said:

“I am looking forward to working with Minister Stuart and his department, as well as partners across the industry to address the challenges we face on the road to net zero.

We know that accelerating and improving connections to the grid is one of those challenges and linking the work of the task force with our industry action plan will be crucial.”

The chief executive of the renewable energy standards body MCS, Ian Rippin, said:

“The growth we have seen highlights the appetite for solar PV and gives insight into the growing reliance on local energy in the UK.

More and more people are turning to renewable solutions to generate their own power at home and it’s great to see increasing levels of confidence in solar power.”