The latest data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have revealed that the UK now has a total of 18GW of operational solar PV capacity installed.
As of the end of February 2025, 1,735,000 solar installations have been completed across the nation to make up the 18GW total. The UK’s solar capacity has increased by 6.8%, or 1.1GW, since February of 2024.
Last month saw 80MW of solar PV capacity added, with a total of 20,427 installations taking place. According to DESNZ commentary, this volume is notably higher than the average figures seen between 2016 and 2021.
In 2024, a total of 191,000 solar installations came online, a slight decrease from 2023’s 197,000. However, this number is still high compared to the average number of annual installations between 2016 and 2022, which stands at 63,000 per year.
Domestic solar installations make up the bulk of installations by volume but only account for 30% of the nation’s total capacity. In February 2025, 73% of new schemes were installed on a residential building, adding a total of 58MW of capacity.
As of the end of December 2024, an estimated 43% of capacity (7.71GW) came from ground-mounted or standalone solar installations, a figure which includes two operational solar farms which have secured Contracts for Difference (CFDs), the Charity and Triangle solar PV power plants. Additionally, DESNZ estimates that around half of the solar capacity currently categorized as “unaccredited” is ground-mounted, meaning that ground-mounted solar accounts for approximately 55% of total UK solar capacity.
Domestic solar on the rise
The news comes hot on the heels of an announcement by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), which revealed that January was a record year for domestic renewable energy installations.
The MCS, which certifies renewable energy products and installers, noted that between January 2024 and January 2025, 200,010 home solar PV installations were carried out, as well as 22,667 home battery storage systems. The increasing popularity of solar installations can be attributed to falling costs, with the average cost of a home solar installation declining from an average of £9,238 in January to £7,561 in December and the year’s average sitting at £8,198.
Additionally, according to research from Solar Media Market Research, the UK is expected to add between 3GW and 3.5GW of new solar capacity in 2025. Around 20% of the 2.3GW of solar deployed across 2024 came from residential rooftop installations, with commercial rooftop installations contributing another 20%.
