{"id":10755,"date":"2025-01-20T10:56:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T10:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/?post_type=news&p=10755"},"modified":"2025-03-25T01:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T01:06:21","slug":"scotland-ignored-in-grid-reform-plan","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/scotland-ignored-in-grid-reform-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland \u2018ignored\u2019 in grid reform plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Solar Energy<\/strong> Scotland\u00a0
<\/strong>20 January 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plans to stop burdensome and costly technical assessments for larger-scale rooftop solar power systems in England and Wales have been welcomed by the industry \u2013 but would leave Scotland in a position 25 times worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) announced that it planned to raise the threshold for costly transmission impact assessments (TIA) from one megawatt to five megawatts.[1] This would particularly benefit warehouses and factories that are struggling with high energy bills, taking years off their plans to decarbonise and avoiding changes to the high-voltage transmission network. Community energy projects, both on the ground and on rooftops, would also gain from the reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing the rules now means that new grid management rules, known as \u2018Gate 2\u2019 compliance, would not apply to projects under 5MW, nor would they have to demonstrate consistency with December\u2019s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. In all, up to 390 projects are expected to be brought forward under the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, due to technicalities relating to how the Scottish electricity grid is set up, the change in threshold will not apply in Scotland. A threshold of only 200 kilowatts will continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern Ireland operates under different rules, as part of the all-Ireland grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s certainly welcome south of the border, this move will put Scottish businesses at a disadvantage, not to mention the Scottish economy, energy security and decarbonisation efforts. We need to cut these overly cautious bureaucratic rules in Scotland in the same way as England and Wales to maintain a level playing field,\u201d said Josh King, Chair of Solar Energy Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar Energy Scotland has therefore appealed to NESO, network operators Scottish Power and Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks and to politicians in Holyrood and Westminster to replicate the change north of the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its letter describes the matter as \u201ca critical issue for Scotland\u2019s renewable energy sector: if TIA thresholds in Scotland are not similarly increased, there is serious risk of further exacerbating an already uneven playing field that could deter investment in Scottish renewables.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes on to warn that developers may choose to focus on projects in England and Wales, due to the lower costs that would apply there. \u201cThis will undermine Scotland\u2019s solar energy industry and jeopardise Scotland\u2019s own climate and energy targets, such as the 4-6GW solar deployment ambition by 2030. This could also hamstring the UK\u2019s overall Clean Power and Net Zero targets, as large amounts of renewable generation are needed at both the Distribution and Transmission level in Scotland to achieve the targets,\u201d says the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] Warm welcome for plans to slash solar red tape<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 ENDS \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gareth Simkins, Senior Communications Adviser<\/p>\n\n\n\n

gsimkins@solarenergyuk.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

news@solarenergyuk.org<\/a> | solarenergyuk.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Solar Energy Scotland\u00a020 January 2025 Plans to stop burdensome and costly technical assessments for larger-scale rooftop solar power systems in England and Wales have been welcomed by the industry \u2013 but would leave Scotland in a position 25 times worse. 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