More than 27,000 solar installations were completed last month – the highest monthly total since 2012 as people embrace clean tech as a result of the Iran war, figures suggest.
Government data show that 27,607 solar arrays were added in March, bringing the total to more than two million installations in place across the UK for the first time.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) said the rise was driven mainly by rooftop solar, with two-thirds of the new installations being new panels on homes.
Solar capacity has increased 11.7% over the past year, which has added 2.3 gigawatts (GW) of clean power to Britain’s energy mix, Desnz said.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The numbers speak for themselves – the highest monthly installation of solar in over a decade, rising capacity and more than two million solar installations now powering homes across Britain.
“This is our clean energy mission in action – helping families weather global energy shocks, bringing bills down, and getting Britain off the fossil fuel rollercoaster.”
The Government said it is stepping up solar power across homes, schools and communities, giving consent to the UK’s largest solar farm, Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire, driving forward the roll-out of “plug-in” solar panels for balconies and outdoor space and ensuring they are standard on new homes.
Mr Miliband has previously vowed to “double down, not back down” on the transition to clean energy in the light of the Iran war which has led to soaring fossil fuel prices, even as political opponents call for a slowdown on net zero and more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
The National Energy System Operator has said solar set new records in March, generating more than 15GW of power for the first time, as the grid nears the milestone of 100% clean power for a short period of time for the first time in history.
Commenting on the figures, Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank, said the British public clearly viewed net zero technologies such as solar as the solution to energy bill volatility and back-to-back oil and gas crises.
“They are voting with their feet on accelerating the clean transition through electrification – the logical way to shield households from oil and gas prices soaring as a result of conflict thousands of miles away.
“Once we have installed solar panels or wind turbines, the wind and sun are free, but we will increasingly need to pay other countries for oil and gas as the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, with or without new drilling,” she said.
