Labour's plan to encourage millions of homes to be fitted with solar panels (the so-called rooftop revolution) and create more solar farms will lead to more claims. Technology is developing at pace; initial installation costs are high; not all roofs are suitable; safety and fire risks are high; and the skilled workforce is unlikely to be able to meet anticipated output. While the industry gets to grips with all of this, we predict greater risks for insurers that all stakeholders will need to consider. Construction all risks underwriters need to consider their exposure carefully and ensure wordings and premium accurately reflect the risks involved.

We will continue to see insurers amending their pollution and contamination (and other) exclusions following the decision in Brian Leighton (Garages) Ltd v Allianz Insurance plc. The case concerned a sharp object that penetrated a fuel pipe, resulting in contaminated insured property. The Court of Appeal allowed the insured to recover, even though the policy excluded "damage caused by pollution or contamination". The majority held that the exclusion requires pollution or contamination to be the proximate cause, and the exclusion did not bite because the proximate cause was the penetration of the fuel pipe. As most pollution/contamination incidents are initially caused by something else, insurers who do not intend to provide cover in such circumstances will need to revisit their wordings.