UK Welcomes Plan to ‘Slash Red Tape’ for Larger-Scale Solar Rooftop Projects
Delivering large-scale rooftop solar energy projects should soon be cheaper and quicker, under plans announced by the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) this week.
This is according to trade association Solar Energy UK, which has welcomed the proposal to raise the threshold at which a transmission impact assessment (TIA) is required from the current 1MW capacity to 5MW.
Raising the threshold would ‘remove a burdensome element of red tape that has added many years to getting projects off the ground’ and should greatly accelerate the deployment of solar PV on warehouses, it says.
Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, stated:
“Reducing barriers for renewable energy is always a welcome move, so we are delighted to see NESO’s announcement today, which has come somewhat earlier than we had anticipated. Slashing the red tape for larger-scale rooftop projects, and potentially for small-scale ground mount systems, will be a real economic boon.”
Currently, projects intended to connect to the lower-voltage distribution grid that exceed 1MW capacity must undergo a transmission impact assessment (TIA) to evaluate their potential impact on the higher-voltage grid. The costs and delays associated with TIAs have blocked or significantly slowed larger local power projects.
Chris Hewett added:
“Solar Energy UK is happy to see that NESO has proposed to shift the threshold up to 5MW via an urgent code modification. The move, earlier than had been expected, should contribute to the ‘solar rooftop revolution’ sought by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. We look forward to hearing further details.”
The benefits will primarily impact England and Wales, due to differences in Scotland’s grid configuration. Northern Ireland operates under a separate all-Ireland system.
However, Scotland has already implemented a comparable, but less radical, reform. Last summer, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) raised the TIA threshold from 50kW to 200kW, significantly expediting 35 projects with a combined capacity of 5.2MW in central and northern Scotland. This move aligned SSEN with grid procedures in the rest of Scotland.
The announcement should greatly accelerate the deployment of photovoltaics on warehouses. Two years ago, the UK Warehousing Association, working in conjunction with Solar Energy UK, estimated that the sector could install 15GW of solar capacity if grid challenges were resolved.
Separately, NESO has confirmed expected plans to pause applications for grid connections from the end of this month, as it prepares to roll out reforms intended to speed up the most viable and advanced projects.
“This arrangement will enable resources to be dedicated to delivery of connections reforms at pace across 2025.”
Amending the TIA regime now means that hundreds of projects will not be affected by the need to document land rights—so-called ‘Gate 2’ compliance—or alignment with the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
Chris Hewett added:
“The solar industry has long called for fundamental reform to the grid connection process and we await NESO’s plans for delivery. Meanwhile, the sector is ready and prepared for further expansion, delivering cleaner, greener, cheaper, and more secure power.”