Exclusive:Solar panels on newbuilds 'wasting the sun', Scottish firm warns

GreenFox Energy wants storage batteries to be fitted alongside panels

Solar panels on many newbuild homes are “wasting the sun” because they are installed without storage batteries, a Scottish firm has warned.

Eddie Curran, the co-founder of GreenFox Energy, wants regulations to be changed to ensure batteries are fitted alongside panels on new homes. He said normal household consumption patterns mean home owners “are only generating a fraction of the benefits of solar that they should be”.

Solar panels on the roof of a property | PA

This is because electricity is mostly used at breakfast time before the sun comes up, and at tea time after the sun goes down, GreenFox said, while solar panels generate electricity when the sun is up and the house is empty.

Mr Curran, whose company specialises in solar and battery installation, said: “All over Scotland, people are walking into newbuild homes in the belief that they are energy and cost efficient. But they are not; these homes are literally wasting the sun.

“Without a battery, normal household consumption patterns mean that home owners are only generating a fraction of the benefits of solar that they should be.

”We are now calling for a change in regulations so that solar and storage comes as a package - we should never be installing one without the other. We can decarbonise and save money through solar and storage.

“We estimate that Scotland has over 1.5 million homes with a roof, only around 10 per cent have solar panels, not enough of those are combined with battery storage, and too many are of too poor a specification to maximise the benefit.

“This is a huge missed cost-saving and sustainability opportunity for home owners and the country. Scotland may be a world leader in renewable energy, but here at home we need to get smarter with solar.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Energy generated from solar power is an important contributor to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and to a just transition to net zero.

“Since February 2023 the energy performance targets set by building regulations for newbuild recognise on-site generation which can be used or stored in the home. This allows the builder to consider the most effective option for generating sources and companion solutions, such as battery storage or the use of diverter switches to use generation to heat stored hot water.”

It comes after a row broke out earlier this week following a delay to a key piece of legislation to tackle carbon emissions from buildings in Scotland.

The proposed Heat in Buildings Bill had been developed during the Greens’ time in government, and set out proposals requiring home owners to switch from gas boilers to more environmentally-friendly alternatives like heat pumps.

Ministers said the Government was now redrafting the Bill so it also helped tackle fuel poverty, but the Greens accused the SNP of “going backwards” and being “in retreat” over climate issues.

Io Hadjicosta, the climate and energy policy manager at WWF Scotland, said the “deeply concerning” announcement was “yet another case of the Scottish Government flip-flopping when it comes to tackling the climate emergency”.