§ Mrs. Bainasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the total amount of Government finance given towards research in the United Kingdom into the practical use of solar energy for industrial and domestic purposes; and how this compares with levels of expenditure in (a) EEC countries and (b) the United States of America.
§ Mr. EadieIn 1976 Government expenditure on solar energy research in the United Kingdom was about £600,000. The total for the other EEC countries, excluding the United Kingdom, was of the order of £10 million, the main programmes being in France and Germany. In addition there was collective expenditure of about £1.2 million by the European Commission as distinct from its member countries. In the United States of America the expenditure was about £50 million.
Solar energy research is in its infancy in most of these countries, and the figures given, although the latest available, may not give a reliable guide to the future level of expenditure. The United Kingdom programme of £6 million to be spent over the next four years, covers developments of solar water and space heating, biomass conversion, photovoltaic conversion and insolation data. Some other national programmes cover additional items, which are technically applicable under their conditions.