§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Energy, in view of the progress made in the United States of America in the development of energy from the sun and the use of satellites to bring a permanent source of energy virtually at no end-costs and no damage to the environment, whether he will co-operate with the United States Government in this field for the benefit of the British people; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EadieLarge areas of the United States enjoy high levels of direct sunshine throughout the year, and thus the exploitation of solar energy for both power production and heating applications is a prospect attracting great interest in that country. The United States Government have allocated substantial funds for work in this area. The United Kingdom's climate is much less favourable, and on present evidence the production of electricity from solar energy is unlikely to be an attractive proposition here, though there may be considerable export potential for British manufacturing industry in the production of photovoltaic equipment, and the Department of Industry is providing funds to support such developments.
The use of solar energy for water and space heating is seen as the application of greatest potential return in the United 217W Kingdom, and the Government are supporting a development programme in this area. We are, in addition, participating in the solar energy programmes of the European Commission and those carried out in collaboration with other countries through the International Energy Agency.
The use of satellites for the transmission of solar energy to earth by microwaves is an exciting possibility for the future which would overcome the disadvantages of climates such as that of the United Kingdom. However, the development of such systems, even in the United States, is still at a very early stage and the Government have no plans at present to enter into large international collaborative programmes in this new technological area. The Department of Industry has been examining the project and is about to commission as asssessment study from consultants to help strengthen the basis for decisions on what work might be carried out in this country on satellite-based solar energy systems, and discussions have taken place between British Aerospace and the Departments of Energy and of Industry on the relevance of British Aerospace's experience in this field. Opportunities may arise for participation in research and development programmes through the European Space Agency, which, it is likely, will work closely with the United States in developments in this area.