Global solar report card: UK could do better

The UK government's renewables strategy faced fresh criticism this week after its solar energy policies received a D-minus grade from a new report examining the global solar industry.

It has already come under fire for failing to plug the imminent funding gap for small-scale renewable energy technologies.

The Solar Report Card from the Green Cross International lobby group assessed the solar industry in 16 of the world's largest economies and found that subsidies and incentive schemes still lag far behind the subsidies still offered to carbon intensive energy industries such as oil and gas.

The UK was amongst the worst performers in the report's league table, which scored countries out of 100 based on how much solar capacity was installed, the scale of financial and regulatory incentives and the quality of educational and behaviour change campaigns. The D-minus rating came with a note that the UK remained "a very small market" with "no significant support for solar growth at this time".

The report added that while the UK government was in the process of developing a new solar support programme in the form of feed-in tariffs, the results will not be seen until the end of 2010.

Germany topped the league table with 70 out of 100 after installing the highest levels of PV capacity and putting generous incentive packages in place. It was followed by the state of California with a B grade, and Spain, the US, Italy and France all scored C-plus due to recently introduced support schemes.

Former Soviet president and founder of Green Cross International Mikhail Gorbachev said that world leaders should use the current economic crisis as the starting point for an increase in investment in the solar sector.

"This economic crisis must mark the beginning of a new sustainable development path that has been long overdue," he said, adding that solar power represented the "best hope " for the two billion people currently living without electricity.

The global economy could subside the solar sector more generously, according to Alexander Likhotal, president of the Green Cross International, if it scaled back the huge subsidies still offered to fossil fuel industries.

"Latest estimates by the International Energy Agency show renewable sources account for only $10bn (£7bn) of the $250bn-$300bn allocated to annual energy subsidies worldwide," he observed. "If we are to deal with the current crises and the ones just around the corner, then every dollar, euro, or yen is going to have to work smarter and harder."