New installed solar capacity additions totaled 1.2 GW in 2024, according to the latest figures from the UK government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), bringing total recorded capacity to 17.6 GW. This represents a 7.5% increase in solar capacity over the calendar year.

Annual capacity additions in 2024 were only the fifth highest on record and down on the previous year, according to DESNZ data, which records 1.4 GW of new installed capacity for 2023. However, 2024 figures are subject to revision and industry bodies such as Solar Energy UK view DESNZ figures as an underestimate of total deployed capacity in the United Kingdom.

Despite this, the pace of deployment must accelerate if the UK government is to achieve clean power targets set for 2030. In December 2024, the government set out its plan to decarbonize Great Britain’s electricity grid by 2030, including 45 GW of deployed solar or more.

There are signs that capacity additions may accelerate in the years ahead. The UK government kicked off 2025 by granting development consent to two major projects with combined capacity of nearly 1 GW. Heckington Fen Solar Park and West Burton Solar Project secured development consent orders on January 24, increasing capacity in a UK development pipeline that has been growing quickly.

It follows a flurry of approvals for utility-scale projects since the Labour Party’s general election victory in July 2024, with three major projects granted development consent within the first fortnight under the new government. The pace of installations has also accelerated in volume terms since July 2024. While the 190,641 UK solar installations recorded by DESNZ for 2024 falls just short of the 196,797 recorded in 2023, 100,824 installations in 2024 took place in the second half of the year, up on the previous year's 88,461 for the same period.

Key policy decisions slated for 2025 could influence the pace of deployment further. Forthcoming regulations such as the Future Homes Standard, which will include an update to energy efficiency standards for new build homes in England, may support an increase in domestic solar installations. Decisions on final specification for the standard as well as an implementation date are expected soon.