A flurry of utility-scale solar projects helped increase UK deployed capacity by almost 2 GW in the 12 months to the end of October 2025, including the connection of the 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Farm in July 2025 – the largest operational UK solar farm to date.

Deployment statistics from the UK government are provisional and subject to revision, but the latest data reveals 111 MW of new capacity was added in October 2025 across 25,470 installations. It brings the total capacity added in in the first 10 months of the year to 1.78 GW, compared to 2.12 GW for the same period in 2024, however the 2025 figure is likely to be revised as new data becomes available.

Most PV installations in the United Kingdom are domestic, however these account for just 30% of total capacity. As of the end of October 2025, at least 40% of UK solar capacity – 8.2 GW – came from ground-mounted or standalone solar installations accredited under the UK Renewables Obligation (RO), feed-in tariff or CfD schemes. Half of unaccredited capacity is believed to be ground mount, meaning this type of installation accounts for roughly 58% of UK total capacity.

Large-scale projects include 18 operational solar farms accredited under the government-backed Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, 16 of which came online in 2025. In its deployment statistics commentary, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said it expects that number to increase.

The pipeline of utility-scale solar projects granted planning permission through the government’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) process has grown significantly since July 2024, with Energy Minister Ed Miliband signing off on the construction of gigawatts of new capacity.

DESNZ’s latest deployment statistics release follows a UK Budget that shifted some of the financial burden of historic utility-scale deployment from domestic bill payers to the government coffers. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced on Nov. 26 that from April 2026 the government will cover three quarters of the cost of the Renewables Obligation charge currently applied to household electricity bills via general taxation for a three-year period..

Launched in 2002 and open for applications until 2019, the RO scheme supported early UK renewables deployment. The latest DESNZ data shows 7.4 GW of solar accredited under the RO scheme.

Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett welcomed the change, which is expected to result in a saving of roughly GBP 100 ($132) per year for an average UK household.

“Reform of the renewables obligation is both a welcome and expected move by the Chancellor,” Hewett said in a statement. “Together with the rising proportion of power coming from cheap solar and other renewables sources, plus reform to the electricity markets, we can expect bills to fall further in the coming years.”

The UK government has extended its consultation on how payments under RO and the previous feed-in-tariff regime are adjusted for inflation in the future. Industry stakeholders have until Dec. 2, 2025, to submit their views.

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