Rooftop solar installations on track for annual record

The number of rooftop solar power installations has already exceeded the total for last year, new Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) figures show.

A total of 138,336 solar photovoltaic installations had been registered by the renewable energy standards body in 2023 by August, the year’s two thirds mark.

This is an increase on the 137,926 installations throughout the whole of 2022, which was already the highest annual figure since the withdrawal of the Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) scheme in 2019.

If the level of rooftop installations continues at the rate seen so far this year, the UK could surpass the all-time record of 203,120, set in 2011 before the generosity of the FiT subsidy regime was scaled back, Solar UK has predicted.

Of the capacity installed over the past four and a half years, more than 50% has been concentrated over the past 13 months, it said.

And domestic solar installations increased 82% year on year in the first half of 2023, according to MCS, Utility Week reported in August.

Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, said: “The reasons behind the extraordinary place of rooftop solar deployment are simple. Power from the grid remains expensive, whereas solar is cheap, paying back in a handful of years in most circumstances. It’s one of the best investments that home and small business owners can make. Coupled with growing concern over climate change and record temperatures around the world, it’s no wonder that so many people have taken the plunge to decarbonise.”

Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, said: “In the face of the cost-of-living crisis and energy crisis, it is reassuring that consumers have the confidence to turn to home-grown energy. Small-scale solar provides home and business owners with energy independence and security against ever-increasing electricity costs. There is still more work to be done to make the transition to low-carbon technology even easier for UK consumers, but 2023 is already the most successful year in our history for solar installations on the roofs of homes and businesses. This remains a critical step in our shared national journey to net zero.”

The MCS figures refer to installations with a capacity of 50kW and below, deployed on the likes of homes, schools and small businesses. A typical domestic installation has a capacity around 4kW.