Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the likely proportion of total UK energy production which will be solar energy in each of the next five years.

In August, DECC published projections for UK solar electricity capacity by 2020/21:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/457313/Estimated_capacity_of_selected_renewable_technologies_in_2020-21.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458662/IA_for_FITs_consultation_August_2015_-_FINAL_docx__e-signature_included__v2.pdf.

This projected that, as of August 2015, UK solar electricity capacity would be 9.55GW by 2020/21, which would be 9.1TWh of generation, or 2.8% of UK electricity generation. The projections as of August 2015 for each of the next five years as follows:

These estimates include assumptions about policy changes which have been proposed but not yet finalised and which could therefore change subject to the responses received – in particular, the consultation on a review of the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme and the consultation on changes to financial support for solar PV under the Renewables Obligation.