The Scottish Government has announced it will retain the 'grandfathering' guarantee for solar under the Renewables Obligation (RO).

The govt also announced it will not be reviewing the level of RO support for solar prior to the early closure of the scheme, as is being proposed in England and Wales.

'Grandfathering' is a guarantee the level of support provided per unit of electricity will not change throughout the lifetime of a solar installation once it has been built, connected and the investment made.

Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing cited the need for "clarity and certainty" for solar projects in order to attract funding and reach financial close.


The UK Government has recently proposed to close the RO completely for large commercial solar rooftops and solar farms as of April next year.

In the letter published today, Fergus Ewing expressed "disappointment" in the UK Government's failure to consult the Scottish Government on its proposals.

John Forster, Chairman of Solar Trade Association (STA) Scotland, said: "This shows that the Scottish Government is fully committed to solar providing as much as possible of its 100% renewables target for Scotland.

"Solar projects in Scotland now know what level of support they are going to get, and that they will get it for the full 20 years. It won't be possible to cut support for Scottish projects down the line in, for example, year 15 of 20.

"We particularly appreciate how Minister Ewing has moved as quickly as possible in making this decision, allowing solar businesses to plan ahead and focus their efforts on any Scottish projects in the pipeline."

(LM/CD)