266. We need the full-scale deployment of solar, including through a 'rooftop revolution' that removes the existing constraints and barriers to solar panel deployment across residential and commercial buildings in the UK (see also Pillar 5). To facilitate this, there should be no planning permission required to install domestic solar or commercial solar on the rooftops of buildings.
267. New regulations and business models should be established to ensure that all current barriers to deploying energy back on to the grid from solar are removed. As part of the 'solar revolution', the total number of installations and MW capacity per local authority should be monitored to drive deployment forwards, and local authorities with low deployment of solar generation should be supported by the Office for Net Zero Delivery (see Pillar 1).
268. Separately, solar farms in the countryside should be not be planned piecemeal but in a co-ordinated fashion as part of a Land Use Strategy that the Review encourages in itssection on land and agriculture. Stacking technology and appropriate use of solar farms on non-high grade agricultural land is entirely compatible with the wider expansion of solar farms. Once again, where located near communities, the utilisation of a consent process - that could be delivered through Local Area Energy Planning, a 'Net Zero Neighbourhood Plan' or equivalent - should aim to ensure that these projects are not imposed on local communities (see also Pillar 4). In parallel, the issue of grid capacity needs to be unblocked and regulations changed so that wider and more flexible provision of solar demand is the norm for the future.
Mission: Government should facilitate solar, including a rooftop revolution, to harness one of the cheapest forms of energy, increase our energy independence and deliver up to 70GW of British solar generation by 2035. | ||
Issue heard by the Review | Action recommended | |
There is no clear roadmap for the deployment of solar, even though solar capacity is expected to grow fivefold in the period to 2030. There is currently no target to make rooftop solar a standard for buildings across the UK. | Government, regulators and industry should set up a taskforce and deployment roadmaps with clear milestones to reach up to 70GW by 2035. This should include: • Actions and milestones for the different solar technologies (rooftop solar PV, groundmount solar) • Bring forward all consultations and work to mandate the Future Homes Standard (FHS) by 2025 (see Pillar 5) to prevent further delays by ensuring standard applies to all developments. This should include a consultation on mandating new homes to be built with solar and deliver the Net Zero Homes Standard, ensuring that the planning system (discussed in Pillar 4) is flexible enough to enable this. • Government should consider options to support homes to include roof solar panels installation as part of its retrofit support scheme provision to support homes reach the Net Zero Homes Standard. (see Pillar 5) | |
Upfront costs make it more difficult for smaller businesses and households to install solar and there is a lack of awareness of the finance options available. | Government to assess how low-cost finance options can be provided to households and small businesses. Government to raise awareness for existing initiatives such as the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) and 0% VAT. | |
Delays due to planning and environmental permits and grid access add to timelines and administrative burden. | Government to work with regulators, devolved administrations, local authorities, industry and key stakeholders to streamline the planning and environmental permitting processes to ensure new power generation can come online as soon as possible. Government to ensure there is clear guidance to support case-by-case decisions, for example on sensitive issues such as siting and to allow new, innovative solutions, instead of technology-specific restrictions | |
Regulatory framework may involuntarily disadvantage new business models (for example in term of business rates) and there is a lack of guidance on community benefits. | Government to set out a framework for community benefits. This could include for solar and other technologies to support communities, acknowledging that these will be specific to the local situation. | |
Households and businesses may struggle to find trained installers as demand increases. | Build UK capability and provide the necessary training and certification. Government, local authorities, industry and certification schemes to consider how listings of certified installers could be made available at a local level. | |