Solar energy 'still has a role to play' - 18/07/2011
Consumers requiring a cheap electricity supply could install their own solar panels or compare energy deals from green suppliers.
The government's UK Renewable Energy Roadmap was launched last week, detailing how the country will derive 15 per cent of its total energy supply from green sources by 2020, but solar panels did not make the list of key green technologies.
Matthew Spencer, director of Green Alliance, commented: "Solar's got a role to play - it's probably not a huge role, but it's important in terms of giving the public access to self-regulation.
"So it's odd that it's not included, but I don't think it's going to make a huge difference to the amount of renewable energy we generate over the next five years," he noted.
Nor should the government's decision to cut the feed-in tariff rate for large-scale photovoltaic installations deter investors, because Britain "was never going to be a big, globally significant market for solar PV", Mr Spencer added.
Domestic energy customers can still sign up to green electricity tariffs from energy suppliers if they are not able to fit their own solar panels.
Switching to a green energy tariff can slash your CO2 footprint by two tonnes and also save you £100s a year! Click here to compare green energy tariffs.
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