Scrap curbs on solar panels, MPs urge
"The Government should scrap barriers to home energy generation if the sector is to play its full part in the fight against global warming," a parliamentary report said on Tuesday. "Planning restrictions on rooftop wind turbines and solar panels should be removed and incentives streamlined, and the electricity distribution firms must pay a proper market rate for any surplus produced by such microgeneration."
According to the House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee, "Not all technologies are suitable to all situations, so the Government must also make sure that adequate information is available to allow consumers to make informed choices. Local energy has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by displacing the use of fossil fuels, decreasing network losses, and increasing energy awareness amongst users."
"Greater use of local energy could, prospectively, increase the security of the UK's energy supplies by drawing on a more diversified range of fuel sources, many of which are renewable," the report added.
"The cost of microgeneration technologies was a barrier to entry but would reduce as demand rose," the report said, urging the Government to demonstrate a long-term commitment to the sector thereby encouraging it to invest in expansion.
