§ Ian LucasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of photovoltaic cells(a) currently in use in the UK and (b) which will be in use in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007. [147048]
703W
§ Mr. TimmsInstalled capacity at the end of 2002 was 4.14MW. Figures for 2003 are not yet available, but we expect capacity to have increased to around 6MW. By the end of the first phase of the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme in 2005–06, we would expect that to have increased to between 12 and 15 MW. Predictions beyond that timescale are much less certain.
§ Ian LucasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants are available to promote the use of photovoltaic cells by(a) industry and commerce and (b) domestic consumers; and how much has been paid in grants in each case in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [147049]
§ Mr. TimmsThe £20 million first phase of the Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme is open to all applicants, including industry, commerce and domestic consumers. The programme was launched in April 2002, and in the first year, £428,000 was paid out in grants to small-scale applicants (Stream 1, less than 5kW each). However, total grant committed was £1,220,000 for Stream 1 and £5,610,000 for Stream 2 (group housing and medium/large-scale non-residential buildings). There is normally a delay of three to 12 months between applications being approved and the PV systems being installed, depending on size.
So far during the second year of the programme, £730,000 of grants have been paid out for Stream 1 and £260,000 for Stream 2. Grants committed in the second year to end December are £1,700,000 for Stream 1 and £5,300,000 for Stream 2. Under Stream 1, about 70 per cent. of grants are going to domestic consumers, and about 6 per cent. to small and medium-sized enterprises. Under Stream 2, about 10 per cent. of grants have gone to industry and commerce.