Current rules that require businesses to apply for planning permission if solar panels will generate more than one megawatt of electricity will also be scrapped, meaning organisations will be able to install more solar panels on rooftops without the delay and cost of applying for planning permission.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are expected to be part of a default package to meet forthcoming rules on the energy efficiency of homes and buildings in England, according to Government plans.
New solar homes and businesses creating and exporting electricity to the grid will be guaranteed a payment from suppliers under new laws to be introduced by the government this week (Monday 10 June).
It sets out that government is supportive of solar that is “co-located [footnote 80] with other functions (for example, agriculture, onshore wind generation, or storage) to maximise the efficiency of land use”.
The standards must also be affordable, practical and safe. However, the possibility of solar energy not becoming all but mandatory, when it is already a common feature of newbuild housing, has been condemned by the industry – especially after such a long wait for the consultation to emerge.
The move will encourage more people to install solar panels on their properties, slashing their energy bills in the process and cutting down on harmful emissions. “We must make sure our homes are fit for the future and can help us meet our net zero ambitions” said Housing and Planning Minister Lee Rowley MP.