{"id":9846,"date":"2024-07-15T14:51:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T13:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/?post_type=news&p=9846"},"modified":"2024-07-15T22:19:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T21:19:47","slug":"sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Sector backs Miliband\u2019s \u2018solar revolution\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Solar Energy\u00a0<\/strong>UK
15 July 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A series of government announcements intended to electrify the delivery of solar energy across the UK have been met with applause by the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the suite of new polices from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, briefed to briefed trade association Solar Energy UK, is reactivating the Solar Taskforce. The joint government-industry body is co-chaired by Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett and was charged during the previous parliament with establishing the practical measures needed to reach 70GW of generation capacity by 2035.[1]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its Solar Roadmap, almost ready for publication when the general election was called, will need to be revised slightly to align with Labour\u2019s goal of 50GW by 2030 and its enthusiasm for faster delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taskforce will now be co-chaired by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who said: \u201cI 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.\u201d[2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taskforce was formerly co-chaired by Conservative energy ministers Andrew Bowie and Graham Stuart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miliband\u2019s words echo those of the 2022 Independent Review of Net Zero, written by former MP Chris Skidmore. His report called for a \u201csolar revolution\u201d and led to the formation of the Solar Taskforce.[3]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miliband\u2019s comments came shortly after approving three large-scale solar farms, which capacity totalling 1.35GW \u2013 about two thirds of all the solar generation capacity installed in the UK last year.[3] The Sunnica project alone could deliver an estimated 1,500 jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d said Hewett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, the new Government\u2019s eagerness to generate more solar power means redoubling efforts to make the electricity networks fit for purpose, equip Britain\u2019s 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As SEUK has lobbied for, the forthcoming Future Homes Standard will effectively mandate the installation of solar panels on newbuild homes, to a stronger degree than current building regulations. The Future Buildings Standard will do the same for non-residential buildings, helping to cut energy bills and push the country towards net zero.[4]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reforms to the planning system are also expected, including reinforcing the need for solar energy in the National Planning Policy Framework. There will also be a consultation on raising the threshold for solar farms to be considered as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), currently set at 50MW. This should reduce the time taken to develop and build some solar farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government is also expected to liberalise rules on installing rooftop solar panels on listed buildings and in conservation areas. A review of these rules began some months ago.[5]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the measures will cut energy bills, boost energy security, deliver economic growth and cut greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] Solar Taskforce drives forward on grid access, supply chain, skills and the rooftop market<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Labour\u2019s \u2018rooftop revolution\u2019 to deliver solar power to millions of UK homes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] Mission Zero: Independent Review of Net Zero<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] MPs overwhelmingly back mandatory solar panels for newbuild homes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5] Plan to ease solar installations on historic homes welcomed<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Solar Energy\u00a0UK15 July 2024 A series of government announcements intended to electrify the delivery of solar energy across the UK have been met with applause by the industry. Among the suite of new polices from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, briefed to briefed trade association Solar Energy UK, is reactivating the Solar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3485,"template":"","custom_tag":[],"class_list":["post-9846","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSector backs Miliband\u2019s \u2018solar revolution\u2019 • Solar Energy UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sector backs Miliband\u2019s \u2018solar revolution\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Government has announced measures to electrify growth in solar energy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Solar Energy UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-15T21:19:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/AdobeStock_251123040-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Sector backs Miliband\u2019s \u2018solar revolution\u2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Solar Energy\u00a0UK15 July 2024 A series of government announcements intended to electrify the delivery of solar energy across the UK have been met with\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solarenergyUK_\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/\",\"name\":\"Sector backs Miliband\u2019s \u2018solar revolution\u2019 • Solar Energy UK\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/AdobeStock_251123040-scaled.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-15T13:51:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-15T21:19:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/news\/sector-backs-milibands-solar-revolution\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/AdobeStock_251123040-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/solarenergyuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/AdobeStock_251123040-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1709,\"caption\":\"Male engineer in blue suit and protective helmet installing stand-alone solar photovoltaic panel system using screwdriver. 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