UK’s Cumulative Installed PV Capacity Hits 15.13 GW

As of the end of May, the cumulative solar capacity in the United Kingdom had reached 15.13 GW. During the period from January to May 2023, there was an addition of 480 MW of solar capacity.

According to preliminary data from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the total installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the UK was 15.13 GW by the end of May. This capacity was spread across 1,334,453 individual installations.

Between January and May, the UK witnessed the incorporation of 479.5 MW of fresh PV systems, in contrast to the 226.2 MW added during the same timeframe in the previous year.

For the month of May alone, there were approximately 60.2 MW of new installations, although these figures are provisional and are anticipated to be revised upward as more information regarding newly operational sites becomes available. In May 2022, the newly installed PV capacity was 49.3 MW, and in April of the current year, there were additions totaling 70.8 MW.

Out of the overall cumulative capacity, a significant portion of 1.8 GW was contributed by large-scale PV plants exceeding 25 MW, while solar facilities ranging from 5 MW to 25 MW contributed an additional 4.44 GW. Installations falling between 50 kW and 5 MW accounted for 3.69 GW.

In terms of categories, the largest proportion of installed capacity was represented by residential and commercial PV systems up to 4 kW, which amounted to around 3.38 GW. Following this, PV arrays ranging from 10 kW to 50 kW constituted 1.15 GW, and PV systems with capacities between 4 kW and 10 kW reached 644.3 MW.