Scotland’s photo voltaic sector and the Scottish Authorities’s net-zero targets are at severe danger if photo voltaic will not be reinstated to the Residence Vitality Scotland (HES) grant and mortgage scheme, in keeping with warnings from commerce teams within the development and renewables sectors.
The Scottish Authorities lately opted to discontinue funding for photo voltaic photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage underneath 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 common with Scotland’s photo voltaic provide chain serving to to ship the intensive pipeline of tasks it’s at the moment working by.
“Home photo voltaic is massively common in Scotland and there’s a lengthy ready listing for installations. Nevertheless, with no incentive for home rooftop photo voltaic, this work will inevitably dry up and depart these corporations with unsure futures.
“Greater than 60,000 households have already got photo voltaic panels and we’d like extra put in throughout the nation on properties, companies and public buildings to guard shoppers from the excessive electrical energy costs the UK at the moment faces and to sort out local weather change.
“It’s due to this fact important that restricted public spending is invested the place it might make the largest affect 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 Development Trade Collective Voice (CICV), a coalition of 29 skilled and commerce our bodies inside the UK development sector, mentioned: “Photo voltaic PV and battery storage usually are not nearly clear power; they signify a dedication to long-term financial stability and environmental stewardship. Their exclusion from funding alerts a worrying shift in coverage that can undoubtedly discourage funding and innovation in Scotland’s renewable sector.
“A secure coverage surroundings is important for companies to commit sources 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 buyers and the general public alike.
“It can additionally considerably have an effect on the coaching and abilities improvement companies inside the renewable sector undertake. After quite a few false begins with renewable know-how funding, installers are more and more cautious of committing to coaching when assist is so often withdrawn. Companies want readability and certainty to take a position successfully, and this unpredictability severely hampers their potential to take action.
“This choice additionally straight and profoundly impacts Scottish households, particularly these in additional susceptible financial positions. With out monetary assist, the preliminary price of transitioning to renewable power sources turns into prohibitive for a lot of. This not solely slows down particular person progress in direction of power independence but in addition widens the socioeconomic divide in entry to scrub know-how. Making certain all communities can take part and profit from Scotland’s power 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:
- Improve funding obtainable within the HES grant and mortgage scheme by £20 million – reinstating photo voltaic PV and power storage methods.
- Proceed to broaden the scale and scale of curiosity free mortgage and grant programmes for power effectivity measures, together with photo voltaic power, and warmth pump installations, notably for smaller properties, rural and island fuel-poor households.
