Rooftop photo voltaic is being held again by lack of government-backed worth for promoting surplus vitality

(Phrases: renewable vitality consultancy Longevity Energy).

The continuing lack of a government-backed assured worth for promoting again surplus clear energy to the UK vitality grid is discouraging companies, property companies and industrial landlords from putting in photo voltaic PV techniques at their properties and holding again the growth of photo voltaic throughout the nation.

Anthony Maguire, Managing Director at Longevity Energy, defined why the absence of a government-backed fastened export tariff is hampering industrial and industrial (C&I) photo voltaic rollout and inflicting the UK to fall behind different European nations together with Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

He stated, “The largest impediment to the UK fulfilling its photo voltaic potential is the shortage of a secure 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 comply with the announcement final month by vitality secretary Ed Miliband about new guidelines that can require almost all new houses in England to be fitted with necessary photo voltaic panels. The foundations will kind a part of the Authorities’s new Future Properties Customary, which is about to publish this autumn.

Earlier this yr, in March, the Authorities introduced a £180M funding for putting in photo voltaic panels at tons of of faculties and hospitals throughout the UK, to be delivered by way of new state-owned vitality firm Nice British Power.

However based on Maguire, the Authorities is overlooking the numerous contribution that photo voltaic techniques put in on the roofs of workplaces, warehouses, factories, retail centres, and different industrial buildings akin to automobile parks may make to decreasing emissions and decarbonising the UK’s vitality system.

He stated, “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 techniques. The UK lacks a correctly priced export tariff that may enable asset house owners 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 rationale why it’s nonetheless a “good to have” for companies and never a strategic precedence.”

Maguire recognized different measures that the Authorities may put in place to encourage extra photo voltaic uptake amongst UK corporations and industrial property house owners.

“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 techniques constructed by personal builders or vitality suppliers that offer energy to offsite residential prospects and companies alike on a subscription foundation.”

He continued, “One other measure for the UK to undertake could be a regulatory rooftop utilization mandate much like the laws permitted by France in November 2022, which requires minimal photo voltaic protection on all new and current industrial roofs and automobile parks. It’s these sorts of insurance policies that shift photo voltaic from being elective to turning into important.”

Maguire concluded by saying, “The present Authorities has taken main steps in latest months to develop photo voltaic uptake within the UK. However Westminster should do extra if it desires to face an opportunity of hitting its said aim of internet hosting 47GW of photo voltaic capability by 2030, as specified by its Clear Energy 2030 Motion Plan.

“Setting up a assured multi-year export worth would supply the steadiness and certainty for companies and asset house owners to decide to photo voltaic for the long run with the information that they will make an affordable return on their funding.”