Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the evidential basis is for the statement in his Department's Consultation on changes to financial support for solar PV that large-scale solar PV poses a substantial risk to managing the Levy Control Framework budget.

The evidence is set out in the consultation impact assessment and draws on various sources, including: data from Ofgem on the amount of solar PV capacity already accredited under the RO or which has applied for accreditation; the Renewable Energy Planning Database, which contains substantial information on the solar PV development pipeline; and various industry sources suggesting that there is significant potential for further expansion in the sector before the scheduled closure of the RO in April 2017. The consultation is helping to refine the evidence and we will update our estimates of potential deployment and budget impacts in the final impact assessment.

A copy of the consultation document and consultation Impact Assessment are available on DECC’s web page:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv.