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 ensure that solar energy is (a) accessible and (b) affordable to all households.

Solar is a UK success story, having until now received 81% of the £5.9bn Feed in Tariff scheme, which has enabled 6.5 GW of new renewable generation across the country. In the future, our proposals for a Smart Export Guarantee will ensure that all small-scale generators are paid for the power they export to the grid. This coupled with the fact that residential solar panels are now over 50% cheaper than in 2011, makes solar more accessible and affordable than ever.