Businesses urged to have their say in solar consultation

The government's consultation on plans to allow rooftop solar installations to be transferred between buildings without losing Feed in Tariff (FIT) accreditation has been welcomed by real estate agents.

The consultancy is urging property owners, tenants and developers to have their say in shaping the future of commercial solar.

Giles Hanglin, who looks after the national coordination of solar rooftop delivery for Savills Energy, comments: “If the UK is to meet its renewables targets and we are to secure our energy future, then solar PV has a role to play. For both landlords and tenants, there are presently clear barriers in place to investing in solar PV, because if a FiT installation is moved it becomes ineligible for further support. Despite the benefits solar PV can offer, it’s understandable how it might be left off the investment list.”

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) proposal into the transferability of building-mounted solar PV installations follows on from a review into the change of planning for solar rooftop schemes, which Savills Energy consulted on earlier in 2014. The results of both consultations are likely to be announced by DECC in the New Year.

Hanglin continues: “We have been working closely with DECC now for some time on the topic of solar PV. In the summer of 2014 we fed into the consultation on revisions to planning permissions for solar PV and then joined discussions on increasing the flexibility of installations. So we very much welcome this opportunity for businesses to have their say. Indeed, the benefits for organisations prepared to engage with the consultation process can be significant, as we have already seen from the actions DECC has taken following our earlier feedback.


“The flexibility the consultation proposes, I believe, is going to be key to the future success of solar PV as a source of renewable energy and an additional income stream for businesses. We understand that some organisations won’t have the time or resources to compile their own response to DECC, so we can do that for them. All they need to do is fill in our simple online survey and we’ll collate all responses.”

The DECC consultation closes on 5 January 2015 and Savills Energy is encouraging businesses not to miss out on this opportunity to have their say on the future of solar PV. For organisations that don’t have the time or resources to respond directly to DECC, Savills is offering its support. It will collect their answers to the consultation questions and respond on their behalf.

The consultation looks at increasing the flexibility of building-mounted solar PV. Currently, under the FiT scheme, an accredited installation has to remain in the same position for 20 years, yet 70% of the UK’s commercial property is leasehold and lease lengths are on average less than 10 years long. It is therefore a clear barrier to investment.

The consultation’s proposed changes to the FiT scheme will allow businesses to transfer solar installations over 50kW to a new location if they need to.

Once the consultation has closed, DECC will consider responses and evidence provided and will publish its response soon after. This means that subject to consultation and the Parliamentary process, the proposed change could be implemented through legislation in 2015.