Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to recent spending by Great British Energy on solar panels for use by schools and hospitals, what assessment they have made of the merits of (1) sourcing solar panels from manufacturers outside China, and (2) spending money from this scheme on creating solar panel manufacturing capacity in the United Kingdom.

For solar projects, the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) and their partners are procuring the solar panels in line with strict procurement controls. While these panels could come from anywhere in the world, we know that around 95% of global polysilicon, ingot and wafer production, required for the manufacture of solar panels, happens in China [1].

Whilst China has a long-established strong position in conventional solar, there are emerging opportunities in solar supply chains which the UK can capture by leaning into our strengths as a scientific and innovation superpower. Alongside Great British Energy delivering over £200m investment for local and community energy, we have several other pioneering companies developing the next generation of cutting-edge solar technologies, including perovskite and thin film. In the Solar Roadmap, we have committed to consider the case to further support companies looking to scale up the production of these parts – so that UK companies don’t just generate innovative ideas but build them as well.

^[1]Based on previous estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA): https://www.iea.org/reports/solar-pv-global-supply-chains/