The Scottish Government has reviewed its current planning rules around solar, and it set to change them to encourage solar rooftop installations across the country.
Chief Planner Fiona Simpson and Planning Minister Tom Arthur stated in a letter published last week that due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused ‘severe economic upheaval’ for Scotland, further creating ‘very significant pressures’ for change – this is alongside the mounting climate crisis.
From this, the Scottish Government has committed to removing the need for planning permission for larger solar installations on non-domestic buildings in the new year, mirroring the current planning rules in England.
Plenty More Roofs to Fill
This follows the news from the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) who announced last month that the UK was missing out on nearly 15GW of solar energy from unutilised roof space on warehouses.
Emily Rice, Solar Energy Scotland Policy Analyst said ‘This is an important step forward for our industry. I am glad the Scottish Government has recognised that this is an important issue for businesses trying to reduce energy bills and meet net zero targets. It is vital that the planning system reflects the urgency of the energy price crisis and climate emergency, and we will continue to work for a speedy removal of this unnecessary barrier’.
Despite this, the Scottish Government still haven’t set targets for solar. In October 2021, Solar Energy England pushed for a minimum target of 4GW of installed solar by 2030. While there is now the possibility of 6GW, the Scottish Government has only set proposals for 8-12GW onshore and 11GW offshore wind capacity.
Scotland Reforms Planning Rules
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