UK Solar PV Capacity Hits 21.8GW By January 2026, DESNZ Data Shows

Provisional figures released by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) show that the country's cumulative solar photovoltaic installed capacity reached 21.8GW by the end of January 2026, spread across approximately 1.951 million systems. New additions in January stood at 131MW, lower than the 339MW installed in the same month of 2025; the data remains subject to revision.

Strong momentum was seen in the small-scale distributed solar market, according to certification body MCS. In January, 17,154 small solar systems (≤50kW) were connected – the second-highest monthly figure on record, just 521 units short of the all-time high set in January 2025. This indicates growing enthusiasm for residential and rooftop solar ahead of the formal launch of the UK's latest subsidy package.

To meet the government's target of at least 45GW of solar PV capacity by 2030, however, strong growth must continue in both rooftop installations and large‑scale ground‑mounted solar projects.

The UK government has introduced the Warm Homes Plan, a roughly $20 billion programme supporting solar and energy storage installations through cash grants and government‑backed loans. It also plans to update building regulations to require new homes in England to include solar panels as standard.

Meanwhile, utility‑scale solar is set for significant expansion in 2026 as a wave of Contracts for Difference (CfD) projects reaches completion. A total of 23 CfD solar projects are now in the pipeline, with three commissioned as soon as January 2026.

Although residential and small‑scale systems account for the vast majority of installations, they represent only around 30% of total installed capacity. By contrast, CfD‑supported capacity surged from just 23MW at the end of 2024 to 546MW by the end of 2025. This share is expected to rise further as more large‑scale plants connect to the grid in 2026.

Despite the year‑on‑year slowdown in monthly additions in January, the UK's solar market remains on track to deliver strong growth in 2026, supported by supportive policies, robust rooftop demand, and a busy pipeline of grid‑connected utility‑scale projects.