On 1 April 2025, the UK reached a new record for maximum solar generation of 12.2 GW.
The new record comes at a time when March 2025 has been categorised by the Met Office as the sunniest March since records began in 1910, with 185.8 hours of sunshine throughout. This was capitalised on by the country's solar sector, which recently surpassed the 18 GW threshold for installed capacity.
Although utility-scale solar PV plants across the country have likely supported the majority of generation capacity, distributed generation, such as rooftop solar, is expected to have played a significant role in the balance, supported by strong installation numbers in 2024.
Private strong producers
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which certifies renewable energy products and installers, recently announced that 200,010 residential solar PV installations and 22,667 residential battery storage systems were carried out between January 2024 and January 2025. This was attributed to falling costs.
Research by Solar Media Market Research found that around 20% of the 2.3 GW of solar energy deployed in 2024 will come from residential rooftop systems, with commercial rooftop systems accounting for a further 20%.
Positive political signals to boost installed solar PV capacity
Solar PV in the UK has grown significantly over the past year, largely due to positive policy signals from the Labour government, which has supported investors in the country's energy transition.
This is reflected in public support for clean energy generation technologies, with recent research from trade organisation Solar Energy UK showing that 77% of the British public support solar development in their region.
Furthermore, according to a study by Solar Media Market Research, the UK is expected to add between 3GW and 3.5GW of new solar capacity in 2025.
Solar brings diversification in supply
Utility-scale solar development is also expected to increase. The precedent was set in December 2024 when Josh Cornes, analyst at Solar Media Market Research, said that 30 new solar applications totalling 1.1 GWp were added to the UK planning system in December 2024.
