The UK are the first nation in Europe to have announced and launched a dedicated solar strategy.  The Department of Energy and Climate Change announced in early April 2014 that their solar strategy would be published, this is the first dedicated document to solar energy strategy by a European government, and is a testament to the massive level of growth that the solar sector has bared witness to over the past few years.

The newly published strategy has placed a particular emphasis on encouraging the deployment of rooftop solar systems including the currently slow but steady growth of the commercial sized systems. The document also confirms the government’s goal to reach one million solar powered homes by 2015.

Energy Minister Greg Barker said “we have managed to put ourselves among the world leaders on solar and this strategy will help us stay there”

Previously Solar hasn’t been acknowledged by the DECC as a Key UK technology but now it has its own strategic document.  Greg Baker has been championing Solar as the best way to provide the UK with low cost renewable power.

The main points of the new strategy include a commitment to increase the uptake of Solar PV on a commercial level. The biggest of DECC’s announcements in relation to this is the news that they will work with ofgem to allow permitted development right for rooftop mounted solar systems with a size up to 1MW.  On top of this there will be steps taken to simplify the Roof-Fit Application process, making it easier for businesses to pursue the benefits of Solar PV. There are also hints that the DECC are “considering changes” to the levels of support available financially to the sector. If these changes go through they will be a huge boost to the numbers of businesses taking up commercial Solar PV.

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