Britain’s solar energy ambitions exceed expectations: The Guardian
Despite challenging weather conditions, Great Britain is poised to shatter its summer solar power generation record. Experts predict that solar output between June and August will surpass the previous high set in 2022. This surge is fueled by the government’s ambitious plan to triple the country’s solar energy capacity by the end of the decade.
The forecasts, compiled for the Guardian by the energy market data company ICIS, indicate a significant increase of 16 per cent in solar power output compared to the previous summer record from 2022. Even with the relatively poor weather this summer, the UK’s solar generation has been impressive, thanks to the efficiency of photovoltaic cells that can operate effectively in various conditions.
The recent Labour government approvals for three major solar farms in the east of England mark a significant step towards achieving the country’s clean energy goals. Once built the sites at Gate Burton in Lincolnshire, Mallard Pass Project on the border between Lincolnshire and Rutland and Sunnica’s energy farm on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border is poised to deliver the equivalent of two-thirds of the solar power capacity installed on rooftops and on the ground in the whole of last year.
The government is set to unveil another decision within weeks on whether to defy local opposition by giving the green light to Britain’s biggest solar farm at the Cottam site on the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire border, which could cover an area eight times the size of Hyde Park in central London.
The government is expected to announce within weeks whether to defy local opposition by approving Britain’s largest solar farm, Cottam, which would span an area eight times the size of Hyde Park.
As part of the government’s “rooftop revolution”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer aims to accelerate the adoption of solar panels in homes across the country. This initiative, is promised to drive down energy bills and reduce emissions, as well as help meet the manifesto pledge to make the UK a clean energy superpower.
Solar Energy UK’s chief executive, Chris Hewett praised the growth in the UK’s solar generation capacity and expressed optimism about the future.
“With Ed Miliband’s promise of a ‘solar revolution’, his approval of three large-scale solar farms this summer and expectations that new homes and buildings will be effectively required to have solar panels, growth is only going to accelerate, driving down bills and emissions along the way,” Hewett said.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero echoed this sentiment, emphasising: “Solar power is at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and more energy independent.
“In one week, the energy secretary consented to more solar power than has been installed in the past year and more widely, we are going further and faster with a solar rooftop revolution to ensure new homes are fit for a net zero future.”
Attribution: The Guardian
