Solar mandated for 99% of new-build homes from 2027
The UK Government is reportedly set to finalise rules mandating that up to 99% of new-build homes are fitted with rooftop solar panels from 2027.
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The Times and other titles have reported that Ministers are primed to sign off on changes to the Future Homes Standard to introduce the solar mandate, which NGOs have been campaigning in support of for several years.
Some policymakers have also attempted to move the needle. In January, Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson introduced a Private Members’ Bill attempting to mandate solar on new homes.
The Local Government Association has been a vocal proponent of the policy. It claims that new homes with rooftop solar will likely see annual electricity bills around £440 lower than older homes with no PV panels, making the mandate a strong mechanism for showing the benefits of the energy transition to the general public.
According to the Association, around 40% of the new homes built in England last year did not have rooftop solar. Trade association Solar Energy UK estimates that this proportion may be as high as 60% when the whole of the UK is accounted for.
The specifics of the mandate are yet to be confirmed by the Government. However, there have been reports that eight in ten new homes will need to be fitted with solar panels equivalent to at least 40% of the ground floor area of the property. Most of the remainder will be permitted to feature smaller solar arrays. Only around 1% of homes are reportedly set to be exempted.
The Labour-led Government has pledged to deliver 1.5 million new homes this Parliament. Good Energy estimates that the addition of rooftop solar on these homes could generate enough electricity to power an additional 1.17m homes through surplus energy shared back to the grid.
Opportunities for savings
Good Energy’s calculation is based on the average home having a 4kW solar array. A home with such an array would save around £313 on their energy bill based on the latest price cap unit rate, and the export would be worth a further £315 based on the current 15p export rate.
Good Energy’s chief executive Nigel Pocklington said: “Supporting people to generate their own clean power is a clear and economical way to achieve our climate targets as a country.
“Small-scale solar’s contribution to cutting the country’s carbon has long been undervalued. There is a bias towards thinking only ‘big’ is beautiful in energy, and a lack of data from microgenerators hasn’t helped.”
Solar Target
The previous Conservative Government had set an ambition to grow the nation’s solar stock to 70GW by 2035 at the advice of the Solar Taskforce. The current Labour administration, in support of its plans to all but phase-out fossil fossil-fuelled electricity generation by 2030, made a manifesto commitment to treble solar capacity this decade. It has not denounced the Tories’ 2035 target and has reconvened the Solar Taskforce.
Organisations including the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have urged the Taskforce to set out specific plans to scale rooftop solar for domestic, commercial and industrial sites, in a bid to minimse the impact on land.
CPRE chief executive Roger Mortlock said: “The UK’s millions of roofs have the potential to generate huge amounts of cheap and sustainable energy, slash people’s bills and ensure we make the best use of our finite supply of land.
“‘Net zero is non-negotiable, with solar power a key part of our energy mix. We urge the Government to set a target for generating at least 60% of the UK’s solar energy from rooftops… [the mandate] helps to restore the right balance.”
Original Article: https://www.edie.net/solar-mandate-for-new-build-housing-set-for-green-light/
