Jeremy Corbyn and Rebecca Long Bailey announce plans to reduce energy bills by installing solar panels on nearly two million homes

Wednesday, 15 May 2019 22:30

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, and Rebecca Long Bailey, Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, will set out radical plans to fit one and three quarter million homes with electricity-generating solar panels as part of Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution on a visit to Yorkshire tomorrow (Thursday). Labour’s plans will fit solar panels on a million social homes and those of low-income households to tackle fuel poverty, provide...Request free trial

Labour’s plans will fit solar panels on a million social homes and those of low-income households to tackle fuel poverty, provide them with free energy and save an average of £117 a year on their bills, which could rise to £270 for retired households. Any unused electricity generated by the programme will be used by the national grid, which Labour will take into public ownership, raising an additional £66m per year for local authorities.

Labour will enable the installation of solar panels on an additional 750,000 homes through a programme of interest free loans, grants and changes to regulations.

Labour estimates its policy will create 16,900 jobs and save 7.1 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to taking 4 million cars off the UK’s roads.

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“In this country, too often people are made to feel like the cost of saving the planet falls on them. Too many think of green measures as just another way for companies or the government to get money out of them, while the rich fly about in private jets and heat their empty mansions.

“Labour’s approach is different. Our Green Industrial Revolution will benefit working class people with cheaper energy bills, more rewarding well-paid jobs, and new industries to revive the parts of our country that have been held back for far too long.

“By focusing on low income households we will reduce fuel poverty and increase support for renewable energy. Social justice and climate justice as one. Environmental destruction and inequality not only can, but must be tackled at the same time.”

Ends

Notes to editors

Labour’s commitment to fit 1 million homes with electricity-generating solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, targeting low income and social housing, will be delivered as part of its retrofit and Decent Homes 2 programmes.

Labour’s support for solar contrasts with Conservative policies, which have broken the back of the UK’s solar sector. According to the Solar Trade Association, new installations of solar PV have fallen by 90% since 2016. https://www.solar-trade.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/STA-Response-to-Consultation-on-the-Feed-In-Tariffs-Scheme-final.pdf

Labour has committed to achieving at least 60% of the UK’s electricity and heat from renewable and low carbon sources by 2030.

Labour’s estimates of 7.1 million tonnes of CO2 saved from solar installation assumes:
- The average installation (we have assumed a 2.5kw south facing roof in Derby) will generate 828 kwh per yearhttp://info.cat.org.uk/solarcalculator/ )
- That energy displaced from the grid has a CO2 intensity of 240gCO2/kwh http://electricityinfo.org/carbon-intensity-archive/#data
- That the CO2 intensity of solar power is 40 gCO2/kwhhttps://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/grantham-institute/public/publications/briefing-papers/Solar-power-for-CO2-mitigation---Grantham-BP-11.pdf

For the 4 million cars. We assume:
- The average car travels 7800 miles a year - Q.24 https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/mobility#a24
- The average car emits 149.6 gCO2/km Q5 - https://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/environment#a5

Labour has also pledged to bring the grid back into public ownership and replace existing private monopolies with publicly owned and locally run institutions.

These two policies are part of Labour’s plans to usher in a Green Industrial Revolution in housing, transport and industry - creating over 400k jobs and tackling climate change including policies such as:
- Supporting the development of tidal lagoons and offshore wind industry
- Introducing a new Clean Air Act.
- Expanding the provision of public transport and cycling lanes.
- Initiating a large tree planting programme, working with farmers and foresters to promote biodiversity and better flood prevention.

Investment in renewable energy to tackle climate change as a national infrastructure priority. All funding for the programme will be classified as capital expenditure, paid out of Labour’s National Transformation Fund. Over five years, the investment required to fit 1 million social and low income homes is estimated to be £2.14 billion. The investment in loans, grants and regulatory changes to help 750,000 further households fit solar panels will cost an estimated £350 million over fifteen years.

Labour’s calculations assume an average installation of a 2.5KW solar PV system on a south facing roof in Derby, and that on average 30% of electricity produced is consumed directly (http://info.cat.org.uk/solarcalculator/), replacing energy purchased from the grid at £0.16/kwh. For those at home all day, it is estimated that up to 69% of electricity produced is consumed directly (https://bit.ly/2lkFRom).

To calculate the value of exported electricity to Local Authorities, Labour’s calculations assume the current Export Tariff rate of £0.0524 p/kwh on 50% of generated electricity, on 2.5GW of installed solar PV capacity, over a 15 year period.