Is 2024 the year solar panels become the norm on ALL new builds? Expert predicts key changes in solar this year
Is 2024 the “year of solar”? According to Stuart Nicholson, roof systems director at Marley, the property industry and homeowners can expect to see two key changes this year from solar power including; batteries/storage, and more solar solutions on new build estates. In 2024, Marley predicts…
Battery technology and solar storage becomes the new norm in residential/domestic installations
Solar storage will be one of the biggest concerns for those with PV installations in 2024. With uncertainty around feed-in tariffs and energy costs, the guarantee of selling back to the grid being a profitable outcome for those with excess solar energy generated will not be there. Especially given that Ofgem has recently announced a 5% price cap increase on the previous quarter, from 1 January to 31 March 2024. For those with solar PVs already, this will mean investment in batteries and energy storage solutions are more essential. And for those considering solar panels or tiles, a storage option will strengthen the cause for renewable investment as energy costs and fears for power outages grow too; as battery storage could reduce energy costs by 80-90%.
In some European countries, like Switzerland, Italy and Austria, solar systems having built-in storage is already more of the norm. In Germany, more than two thirds of the newly installed solar systems (on private property) are installed together with a storage system1. It’s exciting to see it heading that way for the UK too; battery storage take-up has increased exponentially in the last 18 months, with 90% of domestic retrofit solar installations now compatible with incorporating a battery2. Given that 2023 has so far been a record year for solar – with the milestone of 84MV of solar capacity installed reached in June 2023 – the demand for storage will continue to grow in the residential sector.
Solar panels become the norm on new builds
We will start seeing the true impact of the Part L changes – which came into effect June 15th 2023 – during the year ahead. It was disappointing to witness the spike in housing starts in Q2 2023, which was by far the highest number of starts throughout the whole year (and on record in England3), as housebuilders tried to beat the Part L changes. Subsequently the number of solar installations across the UK last year was disappointing. However, as these houses get completed from Q2 last year, the Part L changes will really take effect and we will see solar panels becoming the norm on most new builds and homes during 2024.
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