BERR: Solar technologies increasingly popular

Date:

20/02/2008

Solar technologies have assumed the "lion's share" of the microgeneration market, the government has said.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) said three quarters of all government grants were directed to the technology.

A spokesperson said solar photovoltaic technologies provide a more efficient energy gain and are cost-effective and closer to "full deployment".

The Low Carbon Buildings Programme was introduced in 2006 to provide grants for homeowners, public buildings and commercial properties to install microgeneration technologies.

Under a reformed scheme, householders can apply for grants of up to £2,500 per property, or up to half of the cost of the installation.

According to the BERR website, there are three main ways of capturing the sun's energy. These include passive solar design, active solar water heating and solar photovaltaics.

Meanwhile, a BERR spokesperson recently claimed that the department is currently investigating ways it can increase the uptake in grants provided for homeowners interested in installing microgeneration technology in their homes.

Baxi Solarflo