Making new-build solar standard for greater flexibility

Peak residential electricity demand is predicted to more than double in the next 25 years, from 58GW in 2020 to between 130GW and 190GW in 2050, with ongoing efforts to ramp up renewable generation in order to meet it. 

The vast majority of us want to see more renewable electricity on the grid, but this also poses a challenge. Unlike for old-fashioned fossil fuels, renewables are mostly dependent on the weather, and as residents of the UK know only too well, the weather doesn’t always do what we’d like it to. 

The variability of renewable energy supply means that, somewhere in the system, we need to create more flexibility in demand. 

One way of achieving this is by introducing more batteries to store electricity when generators are making more than is needed, and deploying that stored electricity when they’re not. 

Another is by giving consumers more control over how they interact with the energy system. We can do this by providing opportunities for them to make the most of different rates through time of use models like the E.ON Next Smart Saver Tariff, generate their own electricity through rooftop solar, store it with domestic batteries, and even export it back to the grid when there is demand – all of which can help customers save money on their bills. 

A significant contribution to building this second kind of flexibility into the system (literally!) will also come from making sure new-build homes are equipped with the latest green technologies, and that’s precisely what we’re working towards with our recent acquisition of Eco2Solar. 

Helping customers access the benefits of flexibility 

As one of the UK’s leading domestic installers, Eco2Solar has put solar panels on roughly 50,000 UK homes since its founding in 2007, helping British homeowners to generate more than 85 million kWh of renewable electricity and keep their energy bills lower. 

By joining forces with Eco2Solar, E.ON UK is helping them scale operations to meet fast-growing demand for solar in new-build housing, building up skills availability in the solar sector to serve both private and government projects in future, and bringing all our knowledge, resources, and operational strength to the national effort to make the UK’s housing stock more sustainable. 

It comes as no surprise, then, that in a nationally representative survey we recently commissioned from YouGov, more than three quarters agreed that “it’s good for energy companies with direct experience installing devices such as solar PV and heat pumps to be involved in making sure new-build homes are energy efficient.” 

The same survey found that 78% of people agree that “all new houses built in the UK should have green technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps installed as standard.” 

Customers can save hundreds of pounds a year on their bills by generating part of the electricity they use through rooftop solar, and potentially even more by exporting surplus to the grid for payment. 

But this isn’t only good for customers. More residential solar will also help to keep the grid balanced, reduce strain on national infrastructure by generating more power locally, and make more people active participants in the energy system  – creating the kind of flexibility we need to make new energy work. 

Find out more about Eco2Solar’s work to make solar standard here.