Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to mandate (a) existing and (b) new commercial warehouses to install rooftop solar panels.

The Government is encouraging businesses to install solar panels on their existing roof stock, for example through business rate exemptions and tax relief. However, a blanket requirement to deploy solar photovoltaic panels on every existing roof is impractical. Some roofs are not suitable because of shading, orientation and location.

In December 2021, the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards for new builds, which came into force on 15 June 2022. We expect that to meet the new standards, most new warehouses are likely to be built with renewables, principally roof mounted solar panels.