PV Magazine
PV Magazine
The United Kingdom has broken the 20 GW barrier for deployed solar capacity, according to the latest government figures, having added 1.4 GW since the start of 2025 including 106 MW in September.
Solar capacity figures from the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) are provisional and subject to revision as new data is added, but show growth of at least 1.9 GW in a 12-month period, an increase of 10.7%.
New capacity in 2025 includes the inauguration of the 373 MW Cleve Hill solar farm in July, the largest UK solar plant to date. Cleve Hill is one of 15 solar farms with a Contract for Difference (CfD) to come online in 2025, from a total of 17 supported by the government-backed scheme to date.
Domestic installations still make up the lion’s share of PV installations, according to DESNZ. However, at least 40% of capacity is from ground-mounted or standalone solar installations. When “unaccredited” capacity is assessed, the government estimates ground-mount solar actually accounts for roughly 58% of total capacity. Around 520 MW of newly installed capacity recorded in the first three quarters of 2025 were from plants of 5 MW or greater.
The number of large-scale PV plants is set to grow further, following a flurry of planning consent orders granted by the UK government under its nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIP) process. These include the recently approved 500 MW Tillbridge Solar Project, which joins a cluster of proposed utility-scale solar developments in Lincolnshire, England.
More utility-scale projects will need to come online quickly for the UK government to reach its target of at least 45 GW of deployed solar capacity by the end of 2030. Success will likely depend on how much capacity is procured in the next two CfD allocation rounds, AR7 and AR8. Wind industry leaders have already expressed disappointment in a lower-than-expected CfD budget for offshore wind, announced on October 27 and a similar outcome for solar could hinder progress.
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