The new Labour government plans a solar ‘rooftop revolution’ to provide power for millions of properties across the nation.
Along with solar panels being added to households nationwide, the government has approved of three large solar farms in the UK.
In this blog, we’ll discuss what Labour’s domestic solar plans entail, the approved solar farms and the feasibility of the government’s ambitious solar targets.
What Labour’s Domestic Solar Proposal Entails
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has established fresh rules for solar panels in the UK. By adding solar panels to millions of UK homes, the government aims to reduce household bills while helping to play a role in addressing the climate crisis.
Starmer recently highlighted how the government will support homeowners and builders to effectively deliver on a domestic solar transformation.
This comes with the re-establishment of the UK’s ‘solar taskforce. Solar Energy UK CEO Chris Hewett will co-chair these efforts.
By 2030, the government intends to triple the nation’s solar capacity with a target of 50 gigawatts in total. Labour is also aiming for investment in solar to quadruple in the years ahead.
The latter target is supported by a poll from AlphaSurvey conducted earlier this month implying a coming surge in renewable investments. In total, 71% of UK pension funds and insurers surveyed expressed a desire to increase their solar investment allocations in the coming five years.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has also noted the need for Labour to take bold steps in order to reach the UK’s 2030 Paris Agreement climate commitments. The CCC is the government’s climate watchdog.
Three Major Solar Farms Given Green Light
Along with Labour’s proposed rooftop revolution, Miliband has approved of three major solar farms including the particularly controversial Sunnica solar farm.
Along with the Suffolk and Cambridgeshire-based Sunnica farm, the government has green-lighted the Gate Burton solar farm based in Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire-Rutland border Mallard Pass solar farm.
These planned solar farms may have the potential to power 400,000+ homes. Miliband sees projects such as these as key steps toward cheaper and cleaner energy nationally in the years ahead.
Some of the common arguments from solar farm opponents include the space required, the potential to be an eyesore and how they could affect nearby property prices.
Nick Timothy, a new Conservative MP for West Suffolk was among those voicing strong opposition to the Sunnica project’s recent approval. The project has also been the focus of opposition action group ‘Say No to Sunnica’.
With that said, a 2023 survey from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero showed that some 54% of the UK would be comfortable with a solar farm in their locality. 88% had favourable views of solar energy in general. It is likely that solar farms will remain a contentious topic for the foreseeable future.
Feasibility And The World Of Tomorrow
Labour has clearly shown plenty of ambition while laying out detailed plans. They are also set to allocate £8.3 billion to fund Great British Energy (GB Energy), a new publicly-owned company. GB Energy will serve the purpose of bringing the government’s new renewable energy plans to fruition.
Labour has claimed GB Energy will work along with energy companies, local authorities and co-operatives to create 650,000 jobs.
To reach their targets, the new government may face an array of challenges, though with recent announcements, it is clear they have developed a fairly sophisticated plan.
£8.3 billion in GB Energy funding has enormous potential, though it is significantly down from Labour’s initial £28 billion proposal. This reduction was announced in February.
It is debatable whether or not these sorts of funds will be sufficient for Labour’s key goals including clean and affordable energy by 2030.
The emerging climate crisis and concerns regarding the future pricing and security of energy contribute toward an imperative to invest significantly in domestic renewables.
Ultimately, there are reasons for cautious optimism surrounding the government’s plans. However, in the coming months and years, we’ll have a much clearer idea of how Labour’s energy and climate vision looks like in practice.