Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Brake Excerpts

Tuesday 12th February 2019 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)]

1. What steps his Department has taken to ensure that solar power can compete on a level playing field with other energy generation technologies.

[Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood) (Lab)]

18. What steps his Department has taken to ensure that solar power can compete on a level playing field with other energy generation technologies.

[The Minister for Energy and Clean Growth (Claire Perry)]

At a time when people think parliamentarians are engaged in some sort of slugfest, I commend the Opposition parties for perfect collaboration on this first question.

Solar is a UK success story, as I know all hon. Members will recognise. The feed-in tariff scheme, under which 80% of installations have been solar, has cost £5.9 billion to date in supporting those 830,000 installations. Prices have fallen over 80% since the introduction of the scheme, which is why we are amending it, as I set out in the smart export guarantee consultation, and I look forward to receiving the response of the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake).

[Tom Brake]

Does the Minister agree that households exporting to the grid should be paid a fair rate? Will she ensure an explicit minimum price for exported electricity to allow the market to recover some confidence that new solar homes will receive treatment consistent with that of other electricity generators?

[Claire Perry]

I completely agree that nobody should be exporting power to the grid for free, or indeed below zero as has happened in some other countries. The level at which that export tariff and the mechanism are set is a matter for consultation, and I look forward to the right hon. Gentleman’s points on that subject.