UK Installed 175 MW Solar PV Capacity In Q1/2021

Cumulative Installed Solar PV Capacity Of UK Till March 31, 2021 Exceeded 14 GW; Ground Mounted PV Represented 70% Of 175 MW Installed In Q1/2021

UK Installed 175 MW Solar PV Capacity In Q1/2021

Having installed 545 MW new solar in 2020, Solar Energy UK believes the UK can exit 2021 with 1 GW installed capacity, having started the year with a total of 175 MW in Q1/2021. (Photo Credit: Jenson/shutterstock.com)

  • The UK installed 175 MW solar PV capacity in Q1/2021 comprising 70% of ground mounted systems
  • Rooftop solar PV capacity grew 14% on annual basis during the quarter, while 660 MW of new capacity was installed in 12-month period ending March 2021
  • In 2021, the country may install a total of 1 GW capacity, according to Solar Energy UK

At the end of March 2021, total installed solar PV capacity of UK exceeded 14 GW with 175 MW coming up during Q1/2021, according to the country’s trade body Solar Energy UK, previously called Solar Trade Association. The Q1/2021 installations are a decline from previous 2 quarters both of which added more than 200 MW, its figures show.

Ground mounted solar installations make up the bulk of the new capacity installed in Q1/2021 accounting for 70% of the new capacity, while rooftop solar PV capacity grew 14% YoY in the reporting quarter. According to the trade body, 660 MW of new capacity was installed in the country in the 12-month period ending March 2021.

Altogether, UK’s subsidy-free solar power capacity now exceeds 1 GW, representing 7.3% of the total installed capacity.

“The growing pipeline of subsidy-free projects reflects the confidence investors have in solar technology, and the UK can look forward to solar delivering an increasing amount of clean, affordable power,” said Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett.

The association believes the country could exit 2021 with 1 GW of new solar capacity installed expecting annual solar deployments to increase spurred by declining costs for solar globally. It claims the government has awarded close to £140 million ($193 million) funding to PV projects under the government’s Public Sector Decarbonization Scheme which could lead to around 160 MW PV deployment on public sector buildings alone in 2021. Residential solar deployments may grow too in keeping with local laws.

At the end of 2019, the UK had a total installed capacity of 13.35 GW with the addition of 233.4 MW in 2019, according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) (see UK Installed 233.4 MW Solar PV Capacity In 2019). In 2020, the association said the country added 545 MW PV.

About The Author

Anu Bhambhani

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Anu is our solar news whirlwind. At TaiyangNews, she covers everything that is of importance in the world of solar power. In the past 9 years that she has been associated with TaiyangNews, she has covered over thousands of stories, and analysis pieces on markets, technology, financials, and more on a daily basis. She also hosts TaiyangNews Conferences and Webinars. Prior to joining TaiyangNews, Anu reported on sustainability, management, and education for leading print dailies in India. [email protected]

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