Written questions by Bool.

What tests his Department applies when assessing the necessity of the use of best and most valuable land in a Development Consent Order application.

The National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3) detail the Secretary of State’s considerations regarding the necessity of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land. EN-1 notes at 5.11.12 that the Applicants should seek to minimise impacts on the BMV agricultural land (grades 1, 2 and 3a) and preferably use land in areas of poorer quality (grades 3b, 4 and 5). EN-1 notes at 5.11.34 that the Secretary of State should ensure that applicants do not site their scheme on the BMV agricultural land without justification, and where schemes are to be sited on BMV agricultural land the Secretary of State should take into account the economic and other benefits of that land.

What steps his Department is taking to accelerate the deployment of rooftop solar panels on commercial warehouses as part of the Solar Taskforce roadmap.

The Government is aware of the significant potential that commercial rooftops have in our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. We are working to unlock this potential. The recently published Solar Roadmap sets out actions for government and industry including developing guidance for landlords and tenants to traverse the complex lease agreements that often hold back sector enthusiasm for rooftop solar deployment.We will convene a joint government / industry Solar Council to monitor progress and drive delivery of the actions in the Roadmap. Additionally, solar will play an important role in the Future Buildings Standard for new build non-domestic buildings due to be introduced later this year, and the UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the government’s Warm Homes Plan strategy later this year.

What tests his Department applies when assessing the prioritisation of the best and most valuable land in a Development Consent Order application.

The National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3) detail the Secretary of State’s considerations regarding the prioritisation of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land. EN-1 notes at 5.11.12 that Applicants should seek to minimise impacts on the BMV agricultural land (grades 1, 2 and 3a) and preferably use land in areas of poorer quality (grades 3b, 4 and 5). EN-1 notes at 5.11.34 that the Secretary of State should ensure that applicants do not site their scheme on the BMV agricultural land without justification, and where schemes are to be sited on BMV agricultural land the Secretary of State should take into account the economic and other benefits of that land.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of warehouse rooftop solar installations to the UK’s 2035 solar capacity target.

The Government is aware of the significant potential that commercial rooftops have in our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. We are working to unlock this potential. The recently published Solar Roadmap sets out actions for government and industry including developing guidance for landlords and tenants to traverse the complex lease agreements that often hold back sector enthusiasm for rooftop solar deployment.We will convene a joint government / industry Solar Council to monitor progress and drive delivery of the actions in the Roadmap. Additionally, solar will play an important role in the Future Buildings Standard for new build non-domestic buildings due to be introduced later this year, and the UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the government’s Warm Homes Plan strategy later this year.

What steps he is taking to support (a) South Northamptonshire and (b) other local authorities to improve grid connections for clean energy projects under the Connections Accelerator Service.

Clean energy projects in South Northamptonshire and other local authorities will benefit from ongoing reforms to the grid connection process which will release up to 500GW of capacity from the queue, enabling accelerated connections for schemes that are ready to progress and aligned with our strategic needs, as set out in the Clean Power Action Plan. As set out in the Industrial Strategy, the Connections Accelerator Service will support demand projects to connect to the grid, including prioritising those that create high-quality jobs and bring the greatest economic value.

What assessment her Department has made of the safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems used for solar farms located close to rural communities.

The Government considers that the safety risks posed by BESS are small and well managed under the robust regulatory framework overseen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This framework requires responsible parties to take measures to ensure health and safety throughout all stages of a battery system’s deployment. The safety standards framework for BESS is kept under review to respond to changing circumstances. Government, working alongside the industry-led Electricity Storage Health and Safety Governance Group, will continue to monitor events in the sector to ensure that a robust framework is sustained.

Whether his Department plans to publish a national register of safety (a) incidents and (b) near-misses involving battery energy storage systems.

The Department does not plan to publish a national register of safety incidents and near-misses involving battery energy storage systems (BESS). However, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has developed a publicly available database of global BESS failure incidents. The EPRI database can be accessed here: https://storagewiki.epri.com/index.php/BESS_Failure_Incident_Database

What support his Department is providing for rural households to transition to low-carbon heating systems.

As part of our Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency measures, including those in rural communities. This includes supporting property owners in England and Wales through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, offering grants up to £7,500 for heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass boilers. This also includes £1.8 billion to support low-income households through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. Additional support is also provided through the Energy Company Obligation which offers insulation and low-carbon heating to GB households.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential long-term fire risk associated with lithium-ion battery energy storage systems.

The Government considers that the safety risks posed by BESS are small and well managed under the robust regulatory framework overseen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This framework requires responsible parties to take measures to ensure health and safety throughout all stages of a battery system’s deployment. The safety standards framework for BESS is kept under review to respond to changing circumstances. Government, working alongside the industry-led Electricity Storage Health and Safety Governance Group, will continue to monitor events in the sector to ensure that a robust framework is sustained.