Scotland’s photo voltaic sector and the Scottish Authorities’s net-zero targets are at critical threat if photo voltaic is just not reinstated to the House Power Scotland (HES) grant and mortgage scheme, in accordance with warnings from commerce teams within the building and renewables sectors.
The Scottish Authorities lately opted to discontinue funding for photo voltaic photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage below the scheme, with the impact, as Scottish Renewables put it, of “undermining Scotland’s solar sector and removing any incentive for householders to invest in solar PV”.
Helen Melone, Head of Warmth and Photo voltaic at Scottish Renewables, mentioned:
“The HES grant and mortgage scheme has been fashionable with Scotland’s photo voltaic provide chain serving to to ship the intensive pipeline of initiatives it’s at present working by.
“Home photo voltaic is vastly fashionable in Scotland and there’s a lengthy ready record for installations. Nonetheless, with no incentive for home rooftop photo voltaic, this work will inevitably dry up and go away these corporations with unsure futures.
“Greater than 60,000 households have already got photo voltaic panels and we want extra put in throughout the nation on houses, companies and public buildings to guard customers from the excessive electrical energy costs the UK at present faces and to sort out local weather change.
“It’s due to this fact important that restricted public spending is invested the place it will possibly make the most important influence on chopping carbon emissions.
“We urge the Scottish Government to reconsider its decision to remove domestic solar from its grant and loan scheme and instead increase investment to ensure all types of energy efficiency, clean heat, solar and energy storage systems are available to all households.”
Additionally commenting on the transfer, Alan Wilson, Chair of the Building Trade Collective Voice (CICV), a coalition of 29 skilled and commerce our bodies throughout the UK building sector, mentioned: “Photo voltaic PV and battery storage will not be nearly clear vitality; they characterize a dedication to long-term financial stability and environmental stewardship. Their exclusion from funding indicators a worrying shift in coverage that can undoubtedly discourage funding and innovation in Scotland’s renewable sector.
“A steady coverage surroundings is important for companies to commit assets to growing, putting in and sustaining low-carbon applied sciences. The present coverage fluctuation dangers stalling Scotland’s progress in direction of its environmental targets and shaking the boldness of market traders and the general public alike.
“It would additionally considerably have an effect on the coaching and abilities improvement companies throughout the renewable sector undertake. After quite a few false begins with renewable expertise funding, installers are more and more cautious of committing to coaching when help is so ceaselessly withdrawn. Companies want readability and certainty to speculate successfully, and this unpredictability severely hampers their potential to take action.
“This choice additionally instantly and profoundly impacts Scottish households, particularly these in additional weak financial positions. With out monetary help, the preliminary price of transitioning to renewable vitality sources turns into prohibitive for a lot of. This not solely slows down particular person progress in direction of vitality independence but additionally widens the socioeconomic divide in entry to wash expertise. Guaranteeing all communities can take part and profit from Scotland’s vitality transition is essential for its general success and social fairness.
“Moving forward, we must ensure continuity and consistency in our approach to realise our low-carbon ambitions fully. The abrupt end to funding these critical technologies could undermine the trust consumers and the marketplace has in all the nation’s low-carbon transition strategies. As always, we advocate dialogue to find a way forward rather than undermining Scotland’s sustainable future.”
The Scottish Authorities has an ambition to extend photo voltaic deployment from 0.5GW of capability to between 4GW-6GW by 2030. To assist obtain these targets, Scottish Renewableshas urged the Scottish Authorities to:
- Enhance funding obtainable within the HES grant and mortgage scheme by £20 million – reinstating photo voltaic PV and vitality storage programs.
- Proceed to develop the dimensions and scale of curiosity free mortgage and grant programmes for vitality effectivity measures, together with photo voltaic vitality, and warmth pump installations, notably for smaller properties, rural and island fuel-poor households.