Out-Law News 2 min. read

Government outlines "central role" for "sensitively-sited" solar power generation


Up to 20 gigawatts (GW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation will play a "central role" in the UK's drive to produce 15% of its final energy use from renewable sources, the Energy Minister has said.

However, local communities must be given the opportunity to influence any decisions on new solar developments, which would have to be "appropriately sited" and give proper weight to the impact of solar panels on the landscape, according to Greg Barker. In addition, further reforms to the system of financial incentives for solar PV would need to be developed in order to "address the challenges of deploying high volumes" of the technology, he said.

Barker was speaking at an event to mark the publication of the Government's Solar PV Energy Roadmap, a high-level strategy document setting out the guiding principles it will use to shape more specific policy. The document sets out what the Government has done to date and where further work will be needed ahead of the publication of its planned Solar PV Strategy in spring 2014.

"The Coalition is committed to delivering the clean and reliable energy supplies that the country needs, at the lowest possible cost to consumers," Barker said. "Solar PV can play a central role in meeting this challenge. It's a genuinely exciting energy technology which has already seen rapid growth and enjoys strong public support."

"I want this growth to continue and to help us push further ahead in the global race – but new solar installations must be sensitive to public opinion and mindful of wider environmental and visual impacts," he said.

Total installed solar PV capacity in the UK has increased by 25 times since the end of 2010, to 2.4GW at the end of June 2013, according to figures; despite the introduction of cost controls for the feed-in tariff (FiT) subsidy scheme for small-scale solar PV last year. The Government has forecast that 10GW of generating capacity will be deployed by 2020 under its 'business as usual' projections, but Barker is calling for the installation of twice this figure.

However, the increasing popularity of the technology has attracted criticism from campaigning groups who say that solar panels are unsightly and damage the countryside. This summer, the Government produced new planning guidance for onshore renewable energy projects intended to give communities more say in where project such as wind turbines and solar farms are sited. The guidance provides for a greater role for community consultation, and expressly states that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override the concerns of local communities.

In his speech, Barker suggested that one possible solution was to deploy more solar panels on the roofs of commercial and industrial buildings, such as the new 5MW facility installed on the roof of the Bentley car factory in Crewe. There are currently more than 450,000 small-scale installations on UK roofs with a total generation capacity of almost 1.7GW, and Barker said that his 20GW target could be met by using "just 16%" of the currently available space.

"This does not mean 'no' to all greenfield or ground-mounted sites," he said. "Indeed, well-planned sites can become islands of biodiversity, providing protection for bumblebees and wild flowers. And discreet, well-screened sites can sit alongside farming, particularly on low-grade agricultural land."

The 'roadmap' focuses on continued cost reduction and the eventual attainment of "grid parity", where solar power will cost the same as conventional power from the grid. To do this, support for solar PV projects must "allow cost-effective projects to proceed and to make a cost-effective contribution to UK carbon emission objectives in the context of overall energy goals". Support should also deliver "genuine carbon reductions", with full consideration given to emissions during the manufacturing process.

The document also confirms that new solar PV installations will need to be appropriately sited, with proper consideration given to local landscape, heritage and amenity; and opportunities given to communities to influence decisions that affect them. The final strategy will also consider the impact of large-scale solar deployment on grid connectivity and affordability of financial incentives, the document said.

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