The Solar Trade Association (STA) has called on the UK Government to address what it calls “serious flaws” in the accuracy of photovoltaic (PV) deployment data.
According to the latest official statistics, solar deployment in 2019 was down by over 60MW compared with 2018. The STA said the figures fail to “accurately capture” PV systems above 50kW capacities.
The trade body pointed out there has been no update to the ‘50kW to ≤ 5MW’ category since March 2019, and only one large-scale site added to ‘> 25 MW’ category in 2019, which was a 34.7MW array completed in December by Gridserve.
The STA confirmed that a number of systems larger than 50kW were installed and powered up throughout 2019, including a 50MW array completed in December 2019 by Next Energy Solar Fund.
STA chief executive Chris Hewett said: “Continuing to publish incomplete datasets is extremely negligent and inconsiderate of the effect it can have on investor confidence. They paint a picture of a stagnating market, when in fact solar in the UK is stable and recovering after a difficult couple of years.
“The industry continues to gather momentum in the subsidy-free era, and we expect to see a glut of projects deployed over the coming years, some underpinned by power purchase agreements and others that are purely merchant.”
The Committee on Climate Change estimates more than 40GW of solar PV will be required by 2030 in order for the UK to remain on track with its carbon budgets.
STA forecasting estimates that less than half of this will be deployed under a business as usual scenario, and significant policy intervention by Government will be required in order to deliver an average of 2.5GW additional annual solar deployment necessary to reach this.
The STA is calling on the Government to deliver key policies in 2020 to unlock UK solar’s potential, including providing a route to market through regular clean power auctions.