Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans she has to encourage greater uptake of rooftop solar PV.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Low carbon electricity, including solar – whether at the household level or the national level – is central to the transition to the smart and flexible energy systems of the future.
Since 2010, we have quadrupled the electricity we generate from renewables – installing 99% of the UK’s solar capacity and over 800,000 installations – exceeding our historic projections on solar PV deployment. We now have over 13.3GW of solar capacity installed in the UK, which is enough to power over 3 million UK homes.
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which came into force on 1 January 2020, gives small scale low-carbon electricity generators, such as homes with solar panels, the right to be paid for the renewable electricity they export to the grid. Renewable generators now have a several competitive SEG tariffs to choose from, in some cases even higher than the FIT export tariff.
Permitted development rights have been introduced allowing the installation of solar panels up to 1 megawatt on domestic properties, schools, businesses and farm buildings without any need for planning permission.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what her policy is on the extent of deployment of solar PV in 2020; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
We are now exceeding our historic projections on solar PV deployment. In 2013 we estimated that solar capacity would reach between 10 and 12GW by 2020, however latest figures indicate we now have more than 13.3GW of solar PV capacity installed in the UK - enough to power over 3 million UK homes.
The prospects of subsidy-free solar PV are becoming increasingly realistic for developers; several solar PV sites have already deployed, and we expect to see more.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the heat strategy on the (a) upfront costs of installing new technologies and (b) the costs of energy efficiency upgrades for rural (i) homeowners, (ii) landlords and (iii) businesses.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I have committed to publishing a Heat Policy Roadmap in 2020 which will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions in the first part of the 2020s over the future of low-carbon heating. BEIS officials will be working closely with stakeholders, and will be considering the impacts of different technologies on different segments of the market as they develop its content.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government’s heat strategy will include proposals to remove the fuel cost element of the Energy Performance Certificate for rural (i) homeowners and (ii) landlords living off the gas grid.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I have committed to publishing a Heat Policy Roadmap in 2020 which will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions in the first part of the 2020s over the future of low-carbon heating. BEIS officials will be working closely with stakeholders as they develop its content.
Following a commitment in the Clean Growth Strategy, we launched a Call for Evidence on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which closed in October 2018 with 229 responses which we are currently analysing. In the Call for Evidence we asked for views on the current EPC cost rating and the results will inform our views on future EPC policy.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government’s heat strategy include a comparative assessment of the costs associated with improving an Energy Performance Certificate between (a) rural homeowners and landlords that are off the gas grid and (b) homeowners and landlords are on the gas grid.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I have committed to publishing a Heat Policy Roadmap in in 2020 which will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions in the first part of the 2020s over the future of low-carbon heating. BEIS officials will be working closely with stakeholders as they develop its content.
The annual running costs of a Band C rated home are £650 lower than the average Band E rated home. This is why we set out our aspiration in the Clean Growth Strategy that as many homes as possible should be EPC C Band C by 2035 where practical, cost effective and affordable. We estimate that between £35 - 65 billion of investment will need to be mobilised to meet that aspiration.
There is not one ‘silver bullet’ policy that will drive uptake of energy efficiency amongst homeowners and so we are committed to building a vibrant and sustainable market through introducing a suite of mutually supporting policies and measures. These include a £5 million innovation fund to help mortgage lenders develop innovative green mortgage products in support of home energy efficiency and a £10m innovation fund to reduce the cost of whole house retrofit. Low income and vulnerable households are also supported in making energy efficiency improvements under the reformed Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. ECO is worth £640m a year and has already installed 2.5 million measures since 2013.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department has monitored deployment of new solar installations on (a) domestic rooftops, (b) community energy schemes and (c) commercial and industrial rooftop schemes since the closure of the Feed-In Tariff scheme.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Deployment of installations is monitored through the MCS installation database (MID) and the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). Community Energy England also published a State of the Sector Report on 23rd June 2018.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to publish proposals on how small-scale renewables exporting to the grid will be rewarded.
Answered by Claire Perry
On 8 January, Government published a consultation on the future for small-scale low-carbon generation. This can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-for-small-scale-low-carbon-generation
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the development of new air transport concepts.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
As set out in our Industrial Strategy Government backs aerospace through its Aerospace Growth Partnership, which tackles barriers to growth, boost exports and grows high value jobs in the UK. This includes committing £1.95 billion to aerospace R&D until 2026.
The UK is a global leader in aviation and aerospace innovation and, is already developing exciting new forms of transport. As announced at the Farnborough Airshow in July the Government is backing a £58m partnership between Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens to develop a flight demonstrator for hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft.
On 6th December as part of a new Sector Deal for Aerospace, the Government launched the Future Flight Challenge, which will provide up to £125 million of additional funding, which industry will match to support the development of new aircraft technologies and transport concepts – including hybrid-electric, electric and autonomous aircraft - to transform the future of transport as we utilise our airspace to ease congestion.
Through the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge and alongside the Department for Transport’s forthcoming Aviation Strategy, we are exploring how these new technologies will change the way we travel, helping create the right conditions for the success of the UK’s aerospace and aviation industries.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the development of battery-electric aircraft.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
As set out in our Industrial Strategy Government backs aerospace through its Aerospace Growth Partnership, which tackles barriers to growth, boost exports and grows high value jobs in the UK. This includes committing £1.95 billion to aerospace R&D until 2026.
The UK is a global leader in aviation and aerospace innovation and, is already developing exciting new forms of transport. As announced at the Farnborough Airshow in July the Government is backing a £58m partnership between Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens to develop a flight demonstrator for hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft.
On 6th December as part of a new Sector Deal for Aerospace, the Government launched the Future Flight Challenge, which will provide up to £125 million of additional funding, which industry will match to support the development of new aircraft technologies and transport concepts – including hybrid-electric, electric and autonomous aircraft - to transform the future of transport as we utilise our airspace to ease congestion.
Through the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge and alongside the Department for Transport’s forthcoming Aviation Strategy, we are exploring how these new technologies will change the way we travel, helping create the right conditions for the success of the UK’s aerospace and aviation industries.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the development of hybrid-electric aircraft.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
As set out in our Industrial Strategy Government backs aerospace through its Aerospace Growth Partnership, which tackles barriers to growth, boost exports and grows high value jobs in the UK. This includes committing £1.95 billion to aerospace R&D until 2026.
The UK is a global leader in aviation and aerospace innovation and, is already developing exciting new forms of transport. As announced at the Farnborough Airshow in July the Government is backing a £58m partnership between Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens to develop a flight demonstrator for hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft.
On 6th December as part of a new Sector Deal for Aerospace, the Government launched the Future Flight Challenge, which will provide up to £125 million of additional funding, which industry will match to support the development of new aircraft technologies and transport concepts – including hybrid-electric, electric and autonomous aircraft - to transform the future of transport as we utilise our airspace to ease congestion.
Through the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge and alongside the Department for Transport’s forthcoming Aviation Strategy, we are exploring how these new technologies will change the way we travel, helping create the right conditions for the success of the UK’s aerospace and aviation industries.