§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications of a shortage of silicon for the solar cells industry; and if, pursuant to the letter of 30 May from the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Wilson), she will make a statement. [126267]
§ Mr. TimmsNo assessment has been undertaken by the UK of the implications of a shortage of silicon for the solar cells industry, as the UK currently has no major silicon cell manufacturers. As my predecessor's letter of 30 May stated, multi-national cell manufacturers are monitoring the situation, and may build dedicated silicon production plants or diversify into non-silicon cell technologies if a prolonged shortage does arise.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance the Government has given to(a) households and (b) business in the installation of solar energy devices; and how many (i) households and (ii) businesses have installed solar energy devices in each year since 1997. [126658]
§ Mr. TimmsGovernment assistance for the installation of solar photovoltaic systems has been provided since 2000 through the Domestic (DFT) and Large-Scale Field Trials (LSFT), totalling £10 million. The DFT is supporting the installation of PV roofs on 30 projects throughout the UK, comprising some 500 517W homes in the social and private housing sectors. The LSFT is supporting 15 projects in public sector buildings, including universities, council offices and visitor centres. Since April 2002 grants have been provided through the £20 million first phase of the Major Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme (MDP). Under the MDP, grants totalling £10 million have so far been allocated to 300 individual householders and to 66 medium and large-scale projects with housing groups and on non-residential buildings, only a few of which are businesses.
For solar water heating systems grants have been available since March 2003 under my Department's £10 million Clear Skies Programme and the £3.7 million Scottish Community Renewable Initiative. So far, grants have been awarded to 230 individual households and to 14 of the 22 successful community schemes in the first call for proposals, giving a total of around £300,000 in grants for solar water heating systems. The Clear Skies programme is not open to businesses.
It is difficult to assemble accurate figures for the number of solar devices installed on an annual basis since 1997. However, an indication of the growth of the solar PV market in the UK shows the following trend:
Figures are for cumulative capacity in Megawatts:
- 1997: 0.6MW
- 1998: 0.7MW
- 1999: 1.1MW
- 2000: 1.9MW
- 2001: 2.7MW
- 2002: 4.1MW
For solar water heating it is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 domestic systems are installed each year. Current cumulative figures for the UK are estimated to be around 50,000 homes.