Will a UK government back solar?

Signs of a UK government that’s prepared to back solar have emerged within a fortnight of the Labour Party securing victory in the General Election. The government has already signed off on more than 1 GW of new solar capacity. It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for the UK solar industry.

Does the new UK government want solar energy to grow?

Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, told pv magazine he believes the new UK government “unambiguously” wants the industry to grow, a first for the trade association. “It’s central to their economic strategy,” said Hewett, “There is no path to their growth strategy that doesn’t go through the clean energy transition.”

Could solar technology be a platform for a new industry?

“The latest innovations in solar materials and techniques demonstrated in our labs could become a platform for a new industry, manufacturing materials to generate solar energy more sustainably and cheaply by using existing buildings, vehicles, and objects,” Professor Snaith added.

Could more solar energy be used to build more solar farms?

If more solar energy can be generated in this way, we can foresee less need in the longer term to use silicon panels or build more and more solar farms” Dr Wang added. The researchers are among 40 scientists working on photovoltaics led by Professor of Renewable Energy Henry Snaith at Oxford University Physics Department.

Is there too much land earmarked for solar panels?

Councillors say too much of site earmarked for solar panels is on high-quality farmland. The 360-acre site at Hempsted will feature a wood with about 100,000 different tree species. Viewer says it is "madness" to build solar farms when new homes did not have panels installed.

Should landowners oppose a giant solar farm?

More than 1,000 people sign an open letter urging landowners to oppose plans for a giant solar farm. Councillors say too much of site earmarked for solar panels is on high-quality farmland. The 360-acre site at Hempsted will feature a wood with about 100,000 different tree species.