The UK is set to shatter records with the number of solar panel installations in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s tally, according to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
Solar Energy UK (SEUK), an industry trade body, has analysed the data and highlighted that 2023 is already a record-breaking year, with 138,336 solar panel installations so far, compared to 137,926 from 2022. And the count keeps growing: as of the 26th of September, the number has risen to 142,091 installations for the year.
This upswing doesn’t just break last year’s numbers; at it’s current trajectory it looks like it could surpass the all-time record of 203,120 installations set back in 2011, during the heyday of the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) era. FiTs were phased out in 2019, yet the solar industry has continued to thrive.
SEUK points out that more than half of all solar capacity installed in the past four and a half years was done so in the last 13 months, marking a rapid acceleration in adoption rates. Ian Rippin, the CEO of MCS, sees this as a sign of consumer confidence despite the ongoing cost-of-living and energy crises. He emphasises that solar power not only provides energy independence, but also acts as a shield against ever-rising electricity costs.
While there’s still work to be done to make switching to solar even more straightforward, Rippin says that 2023 is turning out to be an exceptionally successful year for both domestic and commercial solar installations. This makes it a crucial part of the UK’s journey toward a net-zero future.
Solar Energy UK‘s CEO, Chris Hewett, believes the surge in solar adoption is driven by simple economics. Solar power is now an affordable, long-term investment for homeowners and small businesses, especially as electricity prices continue to rise. This, along with growing climate change concerns, is compelling more people to adopt solar solutions.
This trend comes as a contrast to recent decisions by the UK government to roll back some net-zero targets, highlighting the increasing need for consumers to take matters into their own hands. Reacting to these policy shifts, Hewett warns that slowing down the UK’s progress toward a more sustainable future would be a “historic misjudgement,” showing a leadership out of sync with both business and consumer needs.
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