Countryside Way Ahead on Rooftop Solar

PEOPLE in the countryside are leading the way on solar power generation, reveals new research from CPRE, the countryside charity.

Of the 50 English parliamentary constituencies with the highest domestic solar generation capacity, 48 are in rural areas.

On average, each rural constituency has domestic solar panels with a total generating capacity of 12.5 MW, compared to just 4.5 MW in urban constituencies.

But both figures are still far too low to meet the government’s net zero targets, says CPRE. They say opportunities to generate huge amounts of cheap, low-carbon electricity are being missed. Cost is often a hugely significant barrier, with the average domestic installation bill coming in at more than £6,000

Rooftop Solar in Europe

Published today, a new report from CPRE demonstrates the potential for more rural solar installations. With the right financial initiatives and practical support in place, the rooftops of homes, warehouses and car parks could add to clean power stations.

The report argues that lessons should be learned from countries including Germany. Here, cash incentives for installing solar panels are as much as double those offered in the UK.

In Japan, homeowners can have solar panels installed for free in exchange for buying the electricity they generate.

It isn’t all about roofs, however. Since 2023, it has been a legal requirement for a canopy of solar panels to be installed on all new car parks in France.

Solar on New Builds

CPRE research has shown that installing solar panels on the UK’s car parks and new buildings could generate 31 GW. That’s nearly as much energy as ten new nuclear power stations. Moreover, it’s more than seven times currently produced by rooftop solar and solar farms combined.

Taken together, all suitable roof space and car parks in the UK could generate a whopping 117 GW. This would be substantially more than the government’s total solar target of 70 GW by 2035.

CPRE’s Jackie Copley said: “We’re calling for a rooftop solar revolution. It’s unacceptable that developers are not required to include solar panels on all new homes. The time for change has come. The government must set a target for generating at least 60% of the UK’s solar energy from rooftops and make it easier and cheaper to install panels on existing homes and commercial buildings.”

You can read the full CPRE report here.

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