Solar Industry Responds to CCC Progress Report

THE COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE’s new 2020 progress report to Parliament, assessing progress in reducing UK emissions over the past year, has been published.

It includes new advice to the UK Government on securing a green and resilient recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report highlights five investment priorities:

1. Low-carbon retrofits and buildings that are fit for the future
2. Tree planting, peatland restoration, and green infrastructure
3. Energy networks must be strengthened
4. Infrastructure to make it easy for people to walk, cycle, and work remotely
5. Moving towards a circular economy.

Responding, STA Chief Executive Chris Hewett said: “We welcome the Committee’s recognition of the valuable contribution that onshore renewables can make to a green recovery; driving decarbonisation, deploying high quality jobs, and delivering significant economic growth.”

“The Committee rightly points out that other forms of generation are more carbon intensive and expensive too. If we are to emerge from this crisis with a renewed economy that is geared towards net zero, the UK needs to rapidly shift to low cost, reliable, and job-intensive technologies like solar.”

Last week the STA announced it was calling for the Government to commit to a target of 40GW of solar capacity by 2030, and has published a new policy paper which outlines how this can be achieved, and contribute to the green recovery.