Today the Government are announcing a package of clean energy measures, making solar panels more accessible and trialling a new way to deliver discounted power from wind. These measures will help to cut energy bills, reduce carbon emissions, and support energy security by making the UK less reliant on imported fossil fuels.
First, we are driving to make plug-in solar panels available to buy in the UK within months. These panels are cheaper than traditional rooftop solar panels and do not require professional installation, making solar power a more accessible option for flat owners and renters.
Secondly, the Government are publishing the future homes standard, which will include solar panels on new houses in England by default. The future homes standard will also see homes built with low-carbon heating such as heat pumps and heat networks.
Thirdly, we are committing to consult on changes to the smart export guarantee. This will look at how we can make it quicker and simpler for households and businesses to get paid for the electricity they export to the grid, and to get the best value from their clean power.
Fourthly, the Government are publishing a call for evidence on their £5 billion warm homes fund, which was announced in the warm homes plan earlier this year. The warm homes fund includes £1.7 billion for a new consumer loans scheme to support home upgrades including installation of solar panels. This call for evidence will explore options for using the remaining £3.3 billion, and includes solar as a key area of focus.
Finally, a new trial offering discounted power for households and businesses in constrained areas near wind turbines—expected predominantly in Scotland and the east of England—will begin this winter. Wind farms are currently paid to switch off their turbines when there is not enough capacity on the grid to transport wind generation to where demand is. This trial will instead allow companies to offer this “wasted wind” cheaply or for free to consumers of participating energy suppliers or flexibility service providers who live or operate their business in grid constrained areas when it is cheaper than turning off turbines. The trial will be funded by up to £20 million and delivered jointly by UK Research and Innovation and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It will invite energy suppliers and other flexibility service providers to put forward offers for consumers that deliver discounted power.
Measures will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows to enable the Government to make this change permanently based on the results of the trial. This legislation will allow final consumption levies, which are policy costs that consumers pay for through their bills, to be removed from energy usage by consumers near to wind turbines at times when they are generating abundant wind power that would otherwise need to be turned off.
Relying on imported fossil fuels puts our energy security at risk. We are addressing that through our clean energy superpower mission, and this package of measures is one example. We are building a future energy system that is both secure and clean while also ensuring consumers will save money on their energy bills by bolstering cheap renewable energy.
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