In the United Kingdom, there are plans to require the installation of solar panels on most new buildings.
The British government is preparing to present a road map that will require the installation of solar panels on the roofs of most new buildings. If the corresponding law is adopted in 2025, the new requirements will come into effect already in 2027. About this informs The Times.
According to the project, approximately 80% of new residential buildings will have to equip up to 40% of the roof area with solar panels. For another 19% of buildings, the conditions will be less strict – due to the specifics of architecture, location or the presence of shade. Another 1% of buildings can be completely exempted from the new norms.
Although installing solar panels could add £4,000 to building costs, the government expects households to save up to £1,000 each year on their energy bills. So, the costs will pay off in about four years.
The initiative is part of a wider plan to transition the UK to a low-carbon energy system by 2030. This strategy calls for an increase in solar generation capacity to 47 gigawatts by the end of the decade.
In addition, government loans are being considered for installing panels in existing buildings, although retrofitting such buildings is significantly more expensive than integrating technology during construction.
However, widespread adoption of solar energy may create additional challenges for the power system. For example, in Australia, which is one of the leaders in this field, there is an excess of electricity on sunny spring days – when demand is low. This forces either to export surpluses or to lose them, which emphasizes the need to modernize networks and increase their flexibility.
Similar trends are also visible in the USA. Last year, solar energy provided 60% of the increase in new energy capacities in the country. One of the large-scale projects was the construction of a 1.2 gigawatt solar power plant in the state of Oregon, capable of providing electricity to about 800,000 households per year.
