On the day before the Government’s budget announcement, the group includes Jeremy Leggett of Solarcentury and individuals representing roofers, builders, electricians and architects, demonstrating the variety of skills available and ready for a green collar economic recovery, as taking place in countries across the world.
The sectors want to benefit from a ‘green budget’ with investment in renewable energy such as solar power, as their peers do in Europe where government market-building programmes are far advanced in comparison to the UK's. This follows the Conservative party’s recent call for a £30 billion green technology recovery, emphasising the role for solar energy in creating clean energy for new and existing buildings. The group is calling specifically for the government to allocate more Low Carbon Buildings Programme cash to satisfy the current demand for solar photovoltaics across the UK.
As part of the campaign ‘We Support Solar’, the construction workers, backed by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, Federation of Master Builders, Electrical Contractors Association, Architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and UK Photovoltaic Manufacturers Association, will ask for a serious commitment to solar power in the budget. Solar photovoltaics in the UK has the potential to deliver over 100,000 British construction jobs by 2020. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates PV job creation at 7 to 11 per MWp of solar power installed; this figure is supported by the German solar experience, where over 50,000 jobs have been created since 2000.