Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps he has taken to encourage the use of solar energy in the UK.

The Government is incentivising large-scale solar through the Contracts for Difference scheme, and rooftop solar through various financial and regulatory measures. These include the Smart Export Guarantee, removal of VAT on domestic panels, tax relief and business rate exemptions. The Government is exploring low-cost finance options to support upfront costs for households and businesses and is reviewing permitted development rights to simplify planning for commercial projects.

The Government will publish a solar deployment roadmap in 2024 and has established a taskforce to drive forward further actions needed to achieve the ambition of around a fivefold increase in solar capacity by 2035.