The dearth of a government-backed assured worth for promoting again surplus clear energy to the UK vitality grid is discouraging the set up of photo voltaic PV programs, in accordance with vitality consultancy Longevity Energy.
The absence of a government-backed fastened export tariff is hampering business and industrial (C&I) photo voltaic rollout and inflicting the UK to fall behind different European nations together with Germany, the Netherlands, and France, stated Anthony Maguire, managing director at Longevity Energy.
He stated: “The most important impediment to the UK fulfilling its photo voltaic potential is the shortage of a steady and supportive coverage from Westminster. There isn’t any fastened export worth, no internet metering framework, and no ecosystem for mid-sized community-level photo voltaic installations.
“Photo voltaic within the UK doesn’t require direct subsidies – however what it does want is best long-term pricing certainty to unlock funding, which present Good Export Ensures (SEGs) set by vitality companies don’t present.”
Maguire’s feedback observe the announcement final month by vitality secretary Ed Miliband about new guidelines that may require almost all new properties in England to be fitted with obligatory photo voltaic panels. These will type a part of the Authorities’s new Future Houses Customary, which is ready to publish this autumn.
Earlier this 12 months, in March, the Authorities introduced a £180M funding for putting in photo voltaic panels at a whole bunch of faculties and hospitals throughout the UK, to be delivered by way of new state-owned vitality firm Nice British Vitality.
However in accordance with Maguire, the federal government is overlooking the numerous contribution that photo voltaic programs put in on the roofs of places of work, warehouses, factories, retail centres, and different business buildings reminiscent of automotive parks may make to lowering emissions and decarbonising the UK’s vitality system.
He added: “The enterprise case within the UK merely isn’t compelling sufficient proper now for corporations, landlords or tenants to spend money on rooftop photo voltaic programs.
“The UK lacks a correctly priced export tariff that might enable asset homeowners whose personal electrical energy consumption is modest to promote on the excess energy that they generate at a assured worth.
“The restricted monetary incentive to putting in rooftop photo voltaic is the explanation why it’s nonetheless a “good to have” for companies and never a strategic precedence.”
Maguire recognized different measures that the federal government may put in place to encourage extra photo voltaic uptake amongst UK corporations and business property homeowners.
He stated: “Establishing a framework that corresponds to the US group photo voltaic mannequin may dramatically develop photo voltaic installations.
“In American states the place these insurance policies are in place, massive rooftops and brownfield websites host mid-scale PV programs constructed by personal builders or vitality suppliers that offer energy to offsite residential clients and companies alike on a subscription foundation.
“One other measure for the UK to undertake could be a regulatory rooftop utilization mandate just like the laws accepted by France in November 2022, which requires minimal photo voltaic protection on all new and current business roofs and automotive parks. It’s these sorts of insurance policies that shift photo voltaic from being elective to turning into important.”
