Solar Roadmap Sets Out Solar Revolution Vision

THE GOVERNMENT’S Solar Roadmap has set out a new era of clean energy independence in a UK ‘solar revolution’.

The Solar Roadmap, published on 30 June describes dozens of practical measures to boost the supply of cheaper power, deliver new industries and create skilled jobs – all while providing significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and gains in biodiversity. By addressing issues such as the electricity grid, supply chain, skills and planning, it will play a major role in delivering both the Government’s mission for the UK to become a clean energy superpower and December’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

By that time, we could see around 9m small-scale rooftop installations, up from 1.8m now, with the sector supporting 35,000 jobs – almost twice the number of today. Meanwhile, solar farms will have made a major contribution to pushing expensive natural gas off the grid, bolstering our energy security.

The government-industry paper was developed over two years and two governments by the Solar Taskforce – led by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband and Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett.

The taskforce will shortly transition into the Solar Council, set to drive future progress and guide the plan’s implementation.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for solar in our country. More than 1.5m homes across Britain now have solar installed, and since this government came to office my department has consented almost 3GW of nationally significant solar projects – nearly three times as much as the previous 14 years combined. But we know we need to go further to deliver our goals for clean power by 2030 and beyond,” said Ed Miliband.

“Solar energy is among the lowest cost, and most popular forms of power generation in the UK, and unlocking its potential will increase Britain’s energy security, drive down bills as well as be a major contributor to preventing dangerous climate change. The fact that it can be deployed rapidly in so many ways from household rooftops, to warehouses, to reservoirs and large-scale solar farms, is the key ingredient to this potential,” said Chris Hewett.

Rooftop

Despite enormous reductions in cost over recent years, one of the key barriers to more widespread adoption of rooftop photovoltaics remains their upfront cost. So the government will work with the Green Finance Institute, the finance sector, consumer bodies and the solar sector itself to provide financial solutions for all customers.

The Taskforce also identified ongoing lack of awareness of the benefits of both domestic and commercial-scale solar energy as a further obstacle, with potential buyers unaware of trusted sources of information. Accordingly, the Government will update its Energy Efficient Home website to promote solar deployment.

Meanwhile, the UK Warehousing Association has agreed to develop a toolkit for the commercial-scale market and to work on resolving barriers such as leasing terms and difficulties connecting to independently-run distribution networks.

How solar power is reflected in energy performance certificates will be revised and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors will ensure that the value of solar homes is assessed properly. Incentives to install solar power on social housing will also be considered and retrofit customers will benefit from a review of consumer protections.

Additional commitments embrace helping schools to deploy solar power; further support for community energy from GB Energy; and support for local authorities’ solar projects from the National Wealth Fund.

A study into the safety of plug-in solar energy systems, which are currently forbidden, will also commence.

Grid

In parallel to existing initiatives, damagingly long waiting times for connecting large-scale rooftop and groundmount projects to the electricity grid will be addressed through procedural reforms, allowing projects most likely to go ahead to jump the queue.

At the residential scale, a requirement for solar projects above 3.68 kilowatts to be approved by distribution network operators will be reviewed. This red tape can lead to capacity being limited unduly.

Other welcome changes are expected to the inaccurate way that applications for battery energy storage systems are considered, and to who pays for new high-voltage transformers – which the roadmap describes as a “postcode lottery”.

Supply Chain

The Solar Roadmap represents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow the solar supply chain and manufacturing capacity in the UK.” While economics preclude the domestic manufacturing of conventional silicon-based panels, there is scope to grow the production of transformers, inverters, switchgear, supporting bracketry, battery storage and cabling, it says, not to mention R&D for lightweight and cutting-edge perovskite technology.

Accordingly, the government will consider supporting companies looking to scale up production.

The Roadmap also details the government’s support for the “world-leading” Solar Stewardship Initiative, intended to prevent the procurement of solar panels produced with raw materials tainted by forced labour. This comes after confirming that the system will be used by Great British Energy.

“The UK Government is clear that there should be no procurement of solar panels where there is evidence of forced labour. Government will empower contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from government contracts who have committed labour market misconduct and/or environmental offences in the UK or overseas… The UK solar sector has been proactive in its response to this issue,” says the roadmap, noting Solar Energy UK’s Supply Chain Statement and Responsible Sourcing FAQ.

Solar Skills

The rapid growth of the UK solar industry – expected to expand by up to 17% this year – “offers a generational opportunity to create a wealth of high-quality jobs. At this crucial juncture, we must put the structures in place to build the skilled workforce needed now and in the decades to come,” the Solar Roadmap says.

Without action, there is a risk of skilled labour shortages, skills gaps, loss of key skills “and potentially costly, urgent intervention further into the future,” it warns.

Solving the problem will require intervention from across government. Solar Energy UK has already launched Solar Careers UK, which will provide information and guidance on what skills and competences are needed for jobs in the sector and how to attain them.[7]

The Roadmap itself offers no less than 11 actions on skills, including improving the provision and effectiveness of training, mapping the routes to competence for core occupations and connecting colleges and businesses. Solar Energy UK will work with other trade bodies on how to attract and retain newly trained installers and prepare teaching materials for schools.

Planning

Despite reforms to permitted development, the National Planning Policy Framework and other aspects of the planning regime, there is still more to be done to ease the solar sector’s growth – including floating solar.

Solar Energy UK has committed to work with the planning profession to ensure that training is fit for purpose. We will also produce factsheets to advise planners and councillors, plugging the gap in the expertise needed to assess solar applications effectively.

INDUSTRY COMMENTS

Driving Force

Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS, said: “We welcome the government’s Solar Roadmap and were privileged to be a part of the Solar Taskforce that helped to develop it. With the focus being put on a ‘rooftop revolution’ across the UK, it’s crucial that consumers have access to qualified installers who deliver installations to industry-recognised standards, giving them confidence in home-grown energy. This supports our vision of seeing MCS certified products in every UK home.

“It’s also great to see that MCS research is driving a review of consumer protections in the renewables sector. As the industry looks to scale solar deployment significantly, it’s critical that adequate protections are in place for consumers. This is why, as part of the redeveloped MCS, we are overhauling our requirements for consumer protection. This includes proposed changes to financial protections, which was the subject of a consultation that closed in May. The response to this consultation will be released soon, collating our findings.

“Industry collaboration will continue to be a key driving force behind the delivery of the Solar Roadmap, and we look forward to continuing our work with the government, consumer bodies, and the wider solar sector as we push towards Clean Energy by 2030.”

Go Guaranteed

The lack of a government-backed guaranteed price for selling back surplus clean power to the UK energy grid is discouraging businesses, property firms and commercial landlords from installing solar PV systems and holding back the expansion of solar across the country – says Longevity Power, the strategic renewable energy consultancy.

Anthony Maguire, MD at Longevity Power, comments, “The biggest obstacle to the UK fulfilling its solar potential is the lack of a stable and supportive policy from Westminster. There is no fixed export price, no net metering framework, and no ecosystem for mid-sized community-level solar installations.

“Solar in the UK doesn’t require direct subsidies – but what it does need is better long-term pricing certainty to unlock investment, which current Smart Export Guarantees (SEGs) set by energy firms don’t provide.

“Establishing a framework that corresponds to the US community solar model could dramatically expand solar installations. In American states where these policies are in place, large rooftops and brownfield sites host mid-scale PV systems built by private developers or energy providers that supply power to offsite residential customers and businesses alike on a subscription basis.

“Another measure for the UK to adopt would be a regulatory rooftop usage mandate similar to the legislation approved by France in November 2022, which requires minimum solar coverage on all new and existing commercial roofs and car parks. It’s these kinds of policies that shift solar from being optional to becoming essential.”

“The business case in the UK simply isn’t compelling enough right now for companies, landlords or tenants to invest in rooftop solar systems. The UK lacks a properly priced export tariff that would allow asset owners whose own electricity consumption is modest to sell on the surplus power that they generate at a guaranteed price.

“The limited financial incentive to installing rooftop solar is the reason why it’s still a “nice to have” for businesses and not a strategic priority.”

Go Bigger

Mohamed Gaafar, CEO and Co-Founder of Gryd Energy, said: “The roadmap implies a national rollout of rooftop systems averaging 3.5kW – even smaller than the current average system size of 3.7kW – despite rising home energy demand from electrified heating and EVs.

“We must ensure the systems being installed are correctly sized from the start – or we risk falling short on energy resilience, locking households into costly retrofits within a matter of years and undermining public trust in solar as a long-term solution.

“The roadmap’s proposal to review the outdated 3.68 kW DNO approval threshold is a welcome first step – but it must go further. That cap is no longer sufficient for most homes, especially with increasing electricity demand. One option is automatic approval based on a ‘right-sized’ approach based on property size – for instance, 4 kW for a 1–2 bed home, 5–6 kW for 3–4 beds, and 7 kW or more for larger homes. DNOs should also be pushed to further recognise the benefits of home battery storage when paired with solar, as home batteries can be highly effective in alleviating local network constraints.
This would ensure housebuilders deliver homes truly built for the future, with systems that match real energy needs.”

Go British

Andrew Moore, UKSOL’s CEO and an Export Champion for the Department of International Trade, advocates for ethical sourcing and labour practices. He said: “UKSOL welcomes the Government’s solar roadmap, especially chapter five and its moves for supply chain reform. It is time the UK solar sector rebalanced toward ethically audited, British-led manufacturers who are committed to fair labour, sustainable practices, and genuinely long-term performance guarantees.

“For too long, the UK solar market has been dominated by suppliers whose credentials rely more on financial credit ratings than ethical practices.”

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