Government Not Getting into Hot Water

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11 March 2016 | Updated 01 January 1970

UK manufacturers and social housing providers have called for an urgent rethink by the government’s consultation proposing to end support for solar thermal hot water heating in both commercial and domestic sectors.

The solar industry is stating that if the proposals go through the ‘internationally proven’ technology will be cut out of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) entirely next year.

This follows a cut to renewables subsidies after the influential House of Commons Energy and Climate Change committee heavily criticised the government for damaging investor confidence in UK energy infrastructure and was covered by TwinFM last week.

The proposal comes after repeated statements from Energy Secretary Amber Rudd that renewable heat was the major focus for UK renewables policy especially as the UK is some distance away from its 2020 renewables targets. In 2014 green sources provided only 4.8% of the UK’s heat which puts the UK considerably behind its self-imposed target of 12% renewable heat by 2020. It also follows warnings by the Committee on Climate Change that greater effort is needed on renewable heat.

Solar thermal is arguably one of the most established and accessible renewable energy technologies with over 350GW of global capacity, more than the global capacity for solar PV. Its applications have expanded into space heating, community heating, district heating, hotels, hospitals and industrial processes.

“This proposal simply doesn’t make sense,” said Paul Barwell, CEO, Solar Trade Association (STA). “The government acknowledges the many benefits of solar thermal, yet proposes singling it out for the removal of financial support. With UK renewable heat deployment falling desperately behind target, the government should be full square behind this technology as part of a strategic plan to permanently bring down heating costs.”

The STA contends that the UK appears to be dragging in solar thermal compared with colder and less affluent Eastern European countries. For example, per capita, Poland has four times and Slovenia seven times the capacity of solar thermal than the UK. Germany has 20 times the solar thermal per head of population.  

“Now is the time to ramp up support, not remove it,” argued Mr Barwell. “Red tape has hindered the roll out of solar thermal and the STA is asking government to remove this.”

Picture: The government proposal to end solar thermal heating from its energy strategy has caused further consternation in the industry

Article written by Robin Snow | Published 11 March 2016

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