HC Deb 02 March 1999 vol 326 c690W
Mr. Brake

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his Department's support for the UK photovoltaic industry. [73926]

Mr. Battle

Last week I announced 3 major new PV initiatives:

  1. (a) a call for proposals for the development of PV components and systems, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of UK companies;
  2. (b) a field trial for around 100 homes across the country to test a variety of actual PV installations under UK conditions;
  3. (c) development of a scheme to demonstrate the use of PV in large-scale building applications.

The total value of these initiatives is expected to be £15 million, with £5 million coming from the DTI. In the case of the demonstration scheme the final go-ahead will have to await the outcome of the Renewables Review, on which I expect to issue a Consultation Paper shortly.

These new initiatives are in addition to the work on solar photovoltaics that my Department is already funding (under the DTI's New and Renewable Energy Programme, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council PV R&D programme, and the Foresight Scolar Programme), and will be taken forward in consultation with the PV and building industries.