OPINION: Time to add solar panels to all houses

I do find it quite extraordinary that any new house is built without sufficient solar panels to cover the consumption of a regular family.

Additionally all new shops, schools, office blocks, etc. should be fully equipped with solar panelling.

I know there is an ongoing debate as to whether man made climate change is real or not (I'm firmly in the it's real camp) but, even if it's not doesn't it make good economic sense for families to be able to turn their backs on fossil fuels and use only renewables for their household needs? After all sunlight is free!

But, let's be honest, that's not going far enough. Why don't the government pay for all new households to have solar panels fitted?

It would cost around £7,000 per house (probably less as part of an organised campaign). And then, beyond occasional maintenance costs, every household would have no household electricity bills.

How cool would that be?

So why don't they do it? My guess is that the big oil companies and their shareholders, which probably include a large number of MPs and their families, block actions that might harm their profits.

Whether man made climate change is real or not the economic argument would support a move to minimise the use of fossil fuels at the earliest possible moment. It couldn't harm the environment or make man made climate change any worse and it would surely eliminate fuel poverty at a stroke.

Let's stop funding wars, and investing in pollution causing industries, and have some vision for the future.