Solar panels and battery storage could transform Scotland’s homes into affordable, low-carbon powerhouses. With the right policy push, this technology can unlock resilience, savings and progress toward net zero, says Eddie Curran.

There is no denying that Scotland has made bold strides in the transition to renewable energy. From onshore and offshore wind to pumped storage hydro, as a country we are rightly proud of our opportunities. However, with the recent delay in the Scottish Government’s strategy for decarbonising homes, there is a fresh opportunity to address the shortcomings in current thinking. The key shortcoming is the failure to exploit the possibilities of solar and battery power.

If we analyse the route to decarbonising homes, there is no escaping that solar energy with batteries is the fastest and most affordable way to achieve it. Indeed, without solar panels and battery storage, the heat pumps which the government is believed to favour will be so expensive to run from peak-rate electricity that consumers will have little incentive to consider them. The economics simply do not work unless households have a means of managing how and when they consume power, and batteries are the mechanism for making this happen.

This point is often overlooked in the public debate, where heat pumps are........

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