Labour’s ‘rooftop revolution’ to deliver solar power to millions of UK homes
Labour’s ‘rooftop revolution’ to deliver solar power to millions of UK homes
Ed Miliband sets new rules on solar panels and approves three giant solar farms as Labour seeks to end years of Tory inaction
Keir Starmer’s Labour government unveils plans for a “rooftop revolution” today that will see millions more homes fitted with solar panels in order to bring down domestic energy bills and tackle the climate crisis.
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, also took the hugely controversial decision this weekend to approve three massive solar farms in the east of England that had been blocked by Tory ministers.
The three sites alone – Gate Burton in Lincolnshire, Sunnica’s energy farm on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border and Mallard Pass on the border between Lincolnshire and Rutland – will deliver about two-thirds of the solar energy installed on rooftops and on the ground in the whole of last year.
Now, before Wednesday’s king’s speech, which will include legislation for setting up the new publicly owned energy company GB Energy, ministers are working with the building industry to make it easier to buy new homes with panels installed, or instal them on existing ones.
Ministers are looking at bringing in solar-related standards for new-build properties from next year.
At present, while formal planning permission is not required, there are restrictions on where and how high up on buildings they can be placed. There are also restrictions in conservation areas and on listed buildings. These may also be re-examined.
If he was truly bold he'd say every new build should be a passivhaus.
Stop, my insulation can only get so thick.
I'm currently doing my improvements to (attempted) passivhaus standard.
First thing my builder said? "Man, you don't need so much insulation! It's not the arctic circle!"To which you reply: "not yet, but if/when the North Atlantic Drift Current turns off, it'll feel like it".
At some point I'm going to board over my loft and it does make sense to maximise the insulation before I do that.
Some of my double-glazing is reaching the end of it's life and I figure I may as well update piecemeal to triple glazing but I haven't looked into it.
I've also had a long chat with a mate who is a building services engineer about air-to-air heat pumps which make me think that is the way I should go.
So I suppose, I am slowly limping in that direction. I am hoping Labour have a Green New Deal that brings green energy at home back into focus and that might speed up my limping.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Keir Starmer’s Labour government unveils plans for a “rooftop revolution” today that will see millions more homes fitted with solar panels in order to bring down domestic energy bills and tackle the climate crisis.
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, also took the hugely controversial decision this weekend to approve three massive solar farms in the east of England that had been blocked by Tory ministers.
We will encourage builders and homeowners in whatever way we can to deliver this win-win technology to millions of addresses in the UK so people can provide their own electricity, cut their bills and at the same time help fight climate change.”
“Unfortunately, these transmission lines are congested and power supplies from the north to the south are often curtailed,” said Sugandha Srivastav, of Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and Environment.
Speaking before the king’s speech, Starmer made clear his priorities would be to stimulate economic growth – including through a green energy revolution – in order to provide the necessary wealth for improving public services.
“The task of national renewal will not be easy and this is just the downpayment on our plans for the next five years, but the legislation set out at the king’s speech will build on the momentum of our first days in office and make a difference to the lives of working people.”
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