How Big is the UK’s Solar Network – and How Much Energy Does It Produce?

Sunny weather never has been – and probably never will be - the UK’s strong suit.

Nevertheless, solar PV installations on the British Isles cater for a modest yet flourishing share of Britain’s electricity needs.

The map below outlines the UK’s theoretical energy potential. Naturally, the further south you look, the greater the potential with the Midlands being the point where the situation looks decidedly sunnier.

As of the end of February 2023, the UK was home to 1,284,121 solar PV installations, representing an installed capacity of 14.8 GW. That’s an increase of 5.0% (708 MW) over 12 months, according to numbers from the UK Government.

It looks like the growth rate of Britain’s solar network is back to speed and better than ever after Covid-19 lockdown measures put a halt to any new solar PV installations in April 2020.

By the second half of 2020, the number of installations had recovered and even exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

Between 2016 and 2021, the median number of new installations was around 3,000 per month, but in the 12 months prior to March 2023, that had risen to more than 12,000 installations.

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Where in the UK Has the Highest Solar Panel Capacity?

Rank	Constituency	Capacity
1	South Cambridgeshire	218,000 kW
2	Peterborough	205,000 kW
3	Central Devon	193,000 kW
4	Torridge and West Devon	191,000 kW
5	North Cornwall	187,000 kW
6	Isle Of Wight	185,000 kW
7	Tiverton and Honiton	181,000 kW
8	South Norfolk	174,000 kW
9	North West Cambridgeshire	173,000 kW
10	Somerton and Frome	170,000 kW

 

Where in the UK Has the Most Solar Panel Installations?

Rank	Constituency	No. of installations
1	Peterborough	6,643
2	South Cambridgeshire	5,961
3	Tiverton and Honiton	4,996
4	North West Cambridgeshire	4,973
5	Central Devon	4,794
6	Torridge and West Devon	4,721
7	North Cornwall	4,571
8	Plymouth, Moor View	4,549
9	Stirling	4,518
10	South Norfolk	4,496

Source: Gov.uk