Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating businesses occupying spaces in (a) retail and (b) industrial estates to install solar panels on their roofs.

The Government provides fiscal incentives to encourage businesses to install rooftop solar, such as through tax relief and business rate exemptions. Through permitted development rights, there is no limit to the capacity of a commercial solar installation, although prior approval is required for installations greater than 50kW.

The forthcoming Solar Roadmap will set out recommendations on how the Government and industry will work together to achieve the ambition to radically increase the UK’s solar capacity by 2030 including for non-domestic solar.