Solar Energy UK
23 April 2025
Solar Energy UK welcomes the government’s proposed amendment to the GB Energy Bill on forced labour in the supply chain.
We look forward to seeing the text and responding in more detail.
The government and GB Energy can take a global leadership position on the issue through more active engagement in the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI), which is actively building the “buyers’ club” that was spoken of this morning.
The SSI is already having a real impact on the global supply chain. By the end of this year, SSI-certified manufacturing facilities will be able to produce 100 gigawatts of solar panels per year, from independently assessed sites which are not complicit in forced labour. That is around five times more than all of the UK’s existing solar panels put together, more than enough to meet both UK and EU demand. This number will continue to grow.
Contrary to this morning’s coverage, if we continue in alignment with European partners, we are confident there will be no slowdown in solar deployment or that the amendment threatens the attainment of clean power by 2030 or net zero by 2050. As a cross-border, cross-economy issue, the UK should be moving in the same direction as our neighbours to make sure Britain isn’t left behind.
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Gareth Simkins, Senior Communications Adviser
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Gareth Simkins
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