Planning for UK Rooftop Solar

At a time of rising energy costs, on the cusp of recession, and with mounting pressure on all individuals and companies to reduce their carbon emissions, it is no surprise that sales of solar panels for installation on domestic and commercial properties are rising exponentially. In August, Shawton Energy, a renewable energy provider, stated that enquiries for solar power have risen by ten times. But, is the government doing enough within the planning system to encourage the uptake of rooftop solar on commercial buildings?

The Government’s British Energy Security Strategy (BESS), published in April of this year, stated the Government’s ambition for a five-fold increase in solar deployment by 2035, an increase from 14 gigawatts to ‘up to’ 70 gigawatts. The Government is expecting roughly half of that capacity to be deployed on domestic and commercial rooftops. The other half will come from large scale ground-mounted solar farms. However, it’s the Government’s objective that the UK should be a net exporter of energy by 2040 so, in my view, we should be aiming for even more ambitious deployment targets.

In an article for The Trademark Lawyer, Richard Marsh, partner in BDB Pitmans’ Environmental Infrastructure Projects team, discusses the energy crisis, and the Government’s role in facilitating non-domestic building owners to install rooftop solar panels.

To read the article in full, please visit the Solar and Power Management website.

Alternatively if you have any queries on the matters covered in this article, please speak to one of our colleagues in the Environmental Infrastructure Projects team.