Commenting onnews that Chancellor Gordon Brown has fitted solar panels to his homein Fife, Friends of the Earth Scotland's Chief Executive, DuncanMcLaren, said:

"ThatGordon Brown is taking personal action to reduce climate emissions fromhis own home, by using solar panels, is very welcome. However, withgrowing public interest in these technologies, it is a real shame thatthe Chancellor did not do much more in his Budget this week to advancethe take-up of micro-renewables. [1]

"Governmentmust do all it can to enable the public to live climate-friendly lives.If the Government is serious about tackling climate change then it isvital that it becomes much easier for householders to installmicropower technologies - such as domestic solar panels and biomassboilers. To make a real difference, it needs to become as easy toinstall a micropower device to home as it is to fit a satellite dish."

Friendsof the Earth Scotland and the Association for the Conservation ofEnergy have been leading the push for the increased use of micropowerand energy efficiency. Together the two groups have been campaigningfor:

• tighter building regulations to ensure that buildings waste less energy; 
  
• simpler planning rules to make installation of micropower easier;
  
• better grant funding to bring the cost down;
  
• developers to install micropower as standard in all new homes; and
  
• the Scottish Executive to set ambitious targets for small-scale renewable energy generation across Scotland.
  

ENDS

NOTES:

[1]In the Budget this week the Chancellor announced £6 million extra forgrants for small scale renewable energy technologies in the Low CarbonBuildings Programme (LCBP).

Thisis peanuts in the context of the Stern Review's call for a five-foldincrease in deployment incentives for renewables. There is massivepublic enthusiasm for these technologies and the UK's industry isunder-developed compared with other countries. There is high-demand forsolar water heaters and other micro-generation technologies, but peopleare deterred by high capital costs. These technologies need to be takenup by millions of people. £1bn is needed for an economy wide roll outprogramme.

[2]Yesterday, the Scottish Executive announced plans that all new buildingdevelopments over 500 square metres must have at least 15% of itsenergy needs embedded on-site from renewable sources.