Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Miliband and Sarah Bool

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Bool (South Northamptonshire) (Con)]

5. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the development of large-scale solar farms.

[The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Ed Miliband)]

Solar power is one of the cheapest sources of energy available to us. I am proud that we have consented nearly 6 GW of solar power since this Government came into office—around six times the amount that the previous Government consented. This year has seen record solar power, generating around 20 TWh of electricity and providing around 7% of the total electricity generated. If we want lower energy bills, new solar is an essential part of making that happen.

[Sarah Bool]

My apologies, Mr Speaker; my voice is going—it has nothing to do with England on Monday.

These large solar schemes will need battery energy storage systems, but there are growing concerns about the safety of these systems. Other countries are looking at more prescriptions, whether through more regulation or technical parameters, such as size, but we in this country just rely on guidance. Will the Secretary of State consider pausing any approvals of further solar schemes until we have some proper regulation in place that meets safety requirements?

[Ed Miliband]

No, we are not going to pause our development of solar power—it is essential to get bills down for families and get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels. We take safety incredibly seriously; the Energy Minister has met the National Fire Chiefs Council and is working assiduously on these issues, and I am sure he would be happy to meet the hon. Lady.