How the UK Government is Advancing Sustainable Supply Chains

The UK Solar Taskforce has published the UK Solar Roadmap, setting out government plans to reach nearly 50 GW of installed solar by 2030. 

The roadmap highlights supply chain, skills and grid reforms essential to meet this goal and expand access to solar panels to more consumers.

This plan will increase the workforce, providing thousands of new jobs, and will save consumers significant amounts of money long-term.

Expanding energy supply chains

Current capacity stands at 18 GW. To meet this target, less than 0.4% of land would be needed for ground-mounted solar, with large potential for rooftop installations.

As solar uptake grows, so too does pressure on the country’s energy infrastructure and supply chains. 

Chris Stark, Head of the UK’s Mission for Clean Power at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, says: “Solar generation is the best example of a clean technology that can bring substantial bill savings and energy system benefits at multiple scales, from household rooftops to efficient, well-sited installations on the scale of whole power stations.”

“The Clean Power Action Plan seeks 45-47GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, a once-in-a-generation increase.

This will only be possible with a mission-focus, industry and government working in partnership to grow solar at pace and fundamental reforms to the queue of projects waiting to connect to the grid.”

If system conditions allow, capacity could even reach 54 to 57 GW. This level of expansion is projected to support 35,000 jobs by 2030, doubling the sector’s current workforce.

Solar rooftop revolution

As more solar and renewable schemes are proposed, both distribution and transmission networks face growing backlogs of connection requests, causing delays and cancellations.

The plan sets specific capacity allocations for solar through 2030 and 2035 to better align the connection process with national solar targets. 

According to the report: “The Government is therefore committed to a fundamental and urgent reform of the connections process, as set out in the Clean Power Action Plan.”

Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, is leading a review of the entire connection process, including small-scale domestic rooftop installations which are also central to the roadmap’s ambition.

More than 1.5 million homes currently have rooftop panels.

The government aims to grow this number by reducing planning barriers and expanding access. 

One key reform has been the removal of the 1 MW cap that previously required planning permission for larger installations.

Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Co-Chair of the UK Solar Taskforce, says: “We will push ahead on a solar rooftop revolution, while tackling the barriers of planning, grid, supply chains and skills. 

Solar rooftop revolution

As more solar and renewable schemes are proposed, both distribution and transmission networks face growing backlogs of connection requests, causing delays and cancellations.

The plan sets specific capacity allocations for solar through 2030 and 2035 to better align the connection process with national solar targets. 

According to the report: “The Government is therefore committed to a fundamental and urgent reform of the connections process, as set out in the Clean Power Action Plan.”

Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, is leading a review of the entire connection process, including small-scale domestic rooftop installations which are also central to the roadmap’s ambition.

More than 1.5 million homes currently have rooftop panels.

The government aims to grow this number by reducing planning barriers and expanding access. 

One key reform has been the removal of the 1 MW cap that previously required planning permission for larger installations.

Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Co-Chair of the UK Solar Taskforce, says: “We will push ahead on a solar rooftop revolution, while tackling the barriers of planning, grid, supply chains and skills. 

“Publishing this roadmap is just the beginning of our journey – and we will establish a joint Government and industry Solar Council to drive progress towards our ambitions.”

The roadmap also estimates that a typical home with rooftop solar could save £500 (US$685) per year on energy bills, though upfront costs are still a barrier.

Supply chain scrutiny

The roadmap does not shy away from the challenges linked to the global solar supply chain.

Most solar panels require polysilicon, often sourced from Xinjiang, China. 

The report notes: “The government is determined to ‘eradicate the abhorrent practice of modern slavery and its commitment to ensuring that supply chains are free from the use of forced labour, including on members of Uyghur and other minorities in Xinjiang involved in the mining of polysilicon used in the manufacture of solar panels.’”

Planned measures in the Great British Energy Bill would empower contracting authorities to exclude suppliers guilty of labour market abuses or environmental offences.

Though the UK does not currently compete in the global solar panel manufacturing sector, there is potential to scale domestic production of balance of system components, such as inverters and mounting hardware.

Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, highlights the sector’s role in broader energy strategy: “Solar energy is among the lowest cost, and most popular forms of power generation in the UK and unlocking its potential will increase Britain’s energy security, drive down bills as well as be a major contributor to preventing dangerous climate change.

“The fact that it can be deployed rapidly in so many ways from household rooftops, to warehouses, to reservoirs and large-scale solar farms, is the key ingredient to this potential.”

This plan, whilst requiring large short-term costs, will ultimately see country-wide savings, more jobs and more sustainable value chains.