Members' Business — S6M-02299 Fergus Ewing: Scotland’s Fair Share, the Potential of Solar Energy in Scotland

That the Parliament welcomes Solar Energy Scotland’s policy agenda, Scotland’s fair share: Solar’s role in achieving net zero in Scotland, published in the run-up to COP26, which sets out the potential for solar energy to play a much greater role in Scotland’s low-carbon energy mix; understands that Scotland has levels of solar irradiation that can be effectively captured and that, compared to other nearby countries on the same latitude, such as Denmark, Scotland is behind in equivalent levels of solar technology deployment; considers that a number of policy matters within the control of the Scottish Government, including permitted development rights and business rates, could help the sector grow significantly; recognises what it sees as the ability of solar energy systems to work as a good companion to wind to make more effective, efficient use of the electricity grid and storage network; considers that, due to reported projections for solar to be the UK’s cheapest form of energy this decade, and to have the unique capability to be deployed at all scales, solar is vital to supporting an affordable energy mix, and a just transition, and notes the calls on the Scottish Government to urgently assess the potential for a 2030 solar deployment target of a minimum of 4GW, and accompanying policy changes to embrace and enable this low-cost mature technology, to help tackle the climate emergency and provide investment and jobs in communities up and down the country, including in the Inverness and Nairn constituency.