We'll support measures that bring more solar power to the UK, and it doesn’t just stop at homes

On January 17th, the House of Commons gave a second reading to the  ‘Sunshine Bill,’ a private members’ bill brought by Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson that calls for parliament “to require the installation of solar photovoltaic generation equipment on new homes; to set minimum standards for compliance with that requirement; and for connected purposes.” 

A poll taken by YouGov for the Campaign to Protect Rural England has found that there is overwhelming support for the bill, with 82% of people backing it and that figure rising to 87% among Labour voters. As far as we’re concerned, efforts to bring more clean and reliable energy to the UK is a good thing, and Wilkinson thanked E.ON during the debate for our support. We will continue to support the Government in the drive to net zero, but when it comes to making the most of solar in the UK, why stop at houses? 

Energy Sharing Communities: going beyond domestic solar 

Putting solar panels on the roofs of people’s homes can only be a good thing for bringing down household bills and emissions, but as a strategy it has its limitations. 

More than a fifth of households in England and Wales are based in apartments that potentially have shared roofs, meaning they may not be able to benefit from domestic rooftop solar, and while putting panels on the roofs of new-build homes may improve access to renters, those renting older properties in the UK still have little freedom to upgrade and install solar systems of their own. 

This means that even with important efforts like the Sunshine Bill there remains a significant gap in solar access, but we see a solution in Energy Sharing Communities. 

Energy Sharing Communities give households of all kinds access to solar power by installing panels on the roofs of public and private buildings such as schools, hospitals, and supermarkets, helping these services and businesses to cover their energy needs before selling surplus to the local community at an affordable price. There are broad benefits including better funding for public services, reduced strain on the national grid, greater connection between communities and the businesses and services they use, and of course more access to cheaper, greener power. In fact, according to a nationally representative survey of 2,000 people we commissioned from YouGov last year, 93% of respondents said they support the idea of energy sharing communities. That’s 10% more than support the Sunshine Bill. 

Varied solar schemes working together mean a bright future 

We fully support installing solar panels on domestic properties across the UK, offering a range of options for customers to choose from via E.ON Next, and as providers under the Government’s ECO4 scheme we are consistently bringing  modern solar systems to people’s homes, but there is so much more potential to unlock. 

We hope that in the near future solutions such as the Sunshine Bill will work alongside Energy Sharing Communities so that as many households as possible can benefit from cheaper, cleaner power, and, whether it’s coming from wind, water, or the sun we all share, no one is left in the shadows.  

To find out more about Energy Sharing Communities, and our plan for a pilot project in the UK, take a look at: Energy sharing: how we hope to empower communities across the UK