The UK domestic photovoltaics industry and the role of central government

Abstract

Microgeneration technologies, such as solar photovoltaics, are an increasingly popular alternative for policy makers looking to address security of supply, fuel poverty, and environmental concerns. In the UK, this industry has benefited from government support in the form of grants but there is uncertainty about how microgeneration policy will evolve in the coming years. This paper uses interviews with stakeholders from across the UK PV industry to describe the current business and policy environment before exploring microgeneration policy as a question of joined-up government. Using a policy ‘streams’ framework, it is shown that microgeneration policy in the UK remains largely the domain of one ministry and while there is potential for cross-government promotion of microgeneration, departments must be convinced that microgeneration is a solution to “their” problems before policy coordination and consistency can be improved. While the paper focuses primarily on central government, the increasingly important role of local government in microgeneration policy is also briefly discussed.