According to a new report from the UK’s Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), 12% of small commercial enterprises across the nation are generating their own energy, predominantly via solar panels.
However, more needs to be done to encourage the other 88 per cent says the FSB.
It points out most of the self-generation (61%) is associated with home-based businesses or those operating from premises attached from their homes.
The proportion of this group generating their own electricity sits at 21 per cent, whereas just seven per cent of non-home-based businesses are creating their own power.
There’s certainly plenty of optimism concerning renewables among the FSB’s small business members. 41 per cent believe renewable and low carbon energy will be cheaper than fossil fuel in the future, compared to just
23 per cent who believe it will never be as cheap.
Members also see clean energy as a positive development in other ways, with twenty-seven per cent believing a low carbon economy will generate more opportunities than threats for their business, a far higher percentage than those who believe the opposite.
The willingness to embrace renewables appears to be there, but the structures to help small business realise the potential of renewables such as commercial solar isn’t says the FSB – and energy security remains a major concern among business owners.
It wants to see the UK Government create a new carbon plan incorporating strategies related to microgeneration and energy efficiency across the UK’s small business community.
“The UK energy sector is facing the greatest transformation since the Industrial Revolution,” says FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry.
“But the whole system for incentivising and subsidising infrastructure lacks transparency, consistency, direction and ambition. It needs a strategic overhaul.”
Withdrawal of solar incentives has certainly had an impact on uptake generally – an issue recently raised by WWF Scotland and the Solar Trade Association.
The organisation states that without the input of the small business community, the nation risks failing to meet its emission targets.
The FSB report, titled “The Price of Power: Energising small business in the next UK carbon plan”, can be viewed in full here (PDF).
