UK solar deployment returned to levels not seen for a decade in 2025, expanding total capacity by 13.6% and setting a new record for small-scale installations.
Total deployed solar capacity reached 21.6 GW at the end of 2025, according to government data. Most of the 2.6 GW of newly capacity over the year came from large-scale plants, but there was also a significant ramping up of new installations under 50 kW.
Accreditation body MCS recorded 257,397 certified solar installations in 2025, the highest on record and up 32% on 2024. MCS is the United Kingdom’s main body for certifying small-scale solar installations up to 50 kW and certification is mandatory for accessing government incentives like the Smart Export Guarantee.
Utility-scale solar installations also set new records in 2025. The 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Park was commissioned in the summer as the largest UK plant to date. Deployment of plants with capacity greater than 100 MW is expected to accelerate in the United Kingdom in the next few years, following a flurry of planning approvals for sites deemed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects by the UK government.
Growth in annual solar capacity additions comes as the United Kingdom tenders for more utility-scale plants through an ongoing contracts for difference (CfD) auction. The seventh UK allocation round will need to procure significant solar capacity to keep the government on track for its target of 45 GW solar by 2030.
A marked increase in rooftop capacity is also expected, driven by policy support. New measures in the government’s Warm Homes Plan include grants, subsidies, and regulations to encourage deployment. UK households will be offered cash grants and state-backed loans to support solar and battery installations as part of the plan, and the government is also expected to make rooftop solar effectively mandatory on new build properties when it introduces new building standards for England later in 2026.
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