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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of compulsory solar panels on new commercial buildings.

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

In December 2021 Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards for new builds, which came into force on 15 June 2022.