UK Greenlights Major Solar Farming Projects as Government Pushes to Triple Capacity by 2030
UK Greenlights Major Solar Farming Projects as Government Pushes to Triple Capacity by 2030
The UK government has approved three major Solar Farming Projects and unveiled new policies aimed at dramatically expanding renewable energy generation by the end of the decade. With public support at record levels and solar costs falling fast, the country is set for a significant solar power boom, though some challenges remain.
In this article:
- Government momentum: The UK has approved major solar projects and introduced policies like the Solar Roadmap and Future Homes Standard to triple solar capacity to 45–47 GW by 2030, making solar panels standard on most new homes.
- Public and private growth: Public support stands at 86%, and domestic installations are at their highest in a decade, driven by falling costs, energy-bill pressures, and strong investment from Great British Energy and the private sector.
- Bright outlook ahead: Despite planning and supply-chain challenges, the UK’s solar industry is on course to become a cornerstone of national clean energy, potentially powering nine million homes and supporting up to 35,000 jobs by 2030.
Government Initiatives and Expansion
In July 2024, the UK government approved three large-scale solar farm projects — Sunnica Solar Farm, Gate Burton Solar Farm and Mallard Pass Solar Farm — marking a major step in scaling up utility-grade solar generation. These projects form part of the overall strategy to dramatically increase the country’s solar generating capacity.
The government’s wider framework for this expansion is laid out in the Solar Roadmap, published on 30 June 2025, which sets out a clear ambition to push installed solar capacity to 45-47 GW by 2030. Specifically, the Roadmap states:
The Roadmap emphasises that reaching this ambition requires concerted action on policy, grid connection reform, supply chain development, and community engagement. For example:
- Reforming grid-connections, particularly reducing wait times for large-scale and rooftop projects.
- Enabling a “rooftop revolution”. Encouraging solar deployment not only at ground-mounted large farms but on rooftops of homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.
- Boosting the UK solar supply chain, improving sustainability, and establishing robust job-creation pathways. It estimates the solar sector could support up to 35,000 jobs by 2030, up from around 17,000 today.
- Working in partnership with industry via the UK Solar Taskforce to deliver the actions set out in the Roadmap.
One of the key policy levers in the government’s tool-kit is the forthcoming Future Homes Standard, which will require solar panels to be installed as standard on most new-build homes. This is expected to significantly boost the domestic rooftop segment of solar deployment.
The combination of large-scale solar farm approvals, ambitious capacity targets, grid-connection and planning reforms, and mandated rooftop integration creates a broad and strategic push across multiple fronts. This puts the UK in a strong position to accelerate its solar build-out, and to meet the target of nearly triple the current capacity by 2030.
Public Support and Domestic Solar Growth
Public support for solar energy in the UK remains exceptionally strong and continues to rise. According to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) Public Attitudes Tracker for Spring 2025, 86% of respondents said they support solar energy as a source of electricity, making it the most popular renewable technology. In comparison, 80% of people expressed support for renewable energy overall, which includes solar, wind, and biomass projects.
When it comes to local developments, just under half of respondents — 47% — said they would be happy or very happy for a solar farm to be built in their area. This figure represents a small decline from 53% in Spring 2024, suggesting that while national support remains high, attitudes can vary depending on the proximity of projects to communities. Only around 14% of respondents said they would be fairly or very unhappy about a local solar farm, up slightly from 9% in the previous survey.
The data also highlights demographic and regional variations. Among older respondents aged 65 and over, about 41% said they would be happy to see a local solar development, compared with around 50–54% of younger age groups. Regionally, support was strongest in the South West (around 55%) and slightly lower in the North East and North West (roughly 40–43%).
The survey also explored what might encourage stronger local support for new solar or renewable projects. The most common motivators were energy bill discounts for nearby residents, cited by 62% of respondents, followed by funding for community projects such as home insulation, local facilities, or nature restoration initiatives, supported by 59%. Meanwhile, 58% said that local job creation or apprenticeship opportunities would make them more likely to support a development.
Alongside these high approval ratings, the domestic solar market is experiencing its strongest growth in more than a decade. Rising energy bills and falling installation costs have prompted thousands of households to invest in solar panels, contributing to record numbers of new systems. Larger rooftop arrays are also becoming more common, following the end of previous subsidy schemes that favoured smaller setups. Homeowners are now opting for more powerful installations that can cover a greater share of their energy use and reduce long-term costs.
Challenges and Concerns
While the overall outlook is positive, the solar sector continues to face challenges.
Some large-scale projects have encountered local opposition, particularly over concerns about land use and the visual impact on rural areas.
There have also been isolated concerns about fire safety, though industry experts emphasize that properly installed and maintained panels present a very low risk.
Regulatory barriers remain for those living in flats: plug-in solar panels are currently not permitted under UK regulations. However, a government review is underway, which could open up new opportunities for urban households.
On a broader scale, there are ongoing supply chain concerns, with a substantial proportion of solar panels manufactured in China; raising questions about sustainability, sourcing, and supply security.
Investment & Innovation
The investment story behind solar in the UK is increasingly impressive. For example, Great British Energy (GB Energy), the government-owned clean-power company, launched its first major project in March 2025: a £200 million investment targeting rooftop solar installations at around 200 schools and 200 hospital/NHS sites across England. The scheme is expected to help public-sector institutions reduce soaring energy bills (the NHS alone pays an estimated £1.4 billion a year in energy costs) and reinvest savings into services.
The scope of GB Energy’s role is broadening further. A subsequent announcement in October 2025 stated that a further £75 million of funding will facilitate solar installations on military sites as well as additional schools and NHS facilities, supporting around 250 schools, 270+ NHS sites and approximately 15 military sites. Also, the company is working to support local government through a £10 million partnership with metro mayors to back community clean-energy projects (including rooftop solar, batteries, EV chargers), expected lifetime energy-bill savings of about £35 million.
From a policy and market-price angle, the cost of solar is improving. For instance, in a government press release from March 2025 the auction price ceiling (“maximum bid price”) for solar in the upcoming allocation round was raised to £61/MWh (up from £47/MWh), showing that solar remains sufficiently competitive that the government is willing to permit higher bids. This suggests that solar is now sufficiently matured that it can demand, and win, larger auctions and bigger projects.
Innovation is also rising in the materials and building-integration side of solar. For example, UK-based company Polysolar has developed transparent photovoltaic (PV) glass capable of generating electricity while still allowing visible light through, meaning it can be built into windows, canopies or other glazed structures, not just rooftop panels. Similarly, research at Loughborough University has identified new cover-glass and anti-soiling coating technologies aimed at improving durability and efficiency of solar modules, an example of upstream innovation that improves the whole installation ecosystem.
All together, the picture is of solar in the UK moving from early-stage subsidy-driven installations to large-scale, grid-connected, policy-backed growth, with technological improvements and public-sector investment underpinning the transition.
Outlook: A Bright Decade Ahead
The outlook for the solar sector in the UK is exceptionally promising. According to the government-published Solar Roadmap: United Kingdom powered by solar, published 30 June 2025, the UK aims to increase solar capacity from just over 18 GW at present to 45–47 GW by 2030, with potential to go further, subject to system need. The Roadmap indicates that if connection reform, supply-chain development and industry action all align, this target is achievable.
Beyond 2030, the document outlines further deployment scenarios. One illustrative path suggests the UK could achieve up to 75 GW of solar capacity by 2035, especially if rooftop and floating solar technologies scale up significantly. This longer-term view signals that solar is positioned not just as part of the energy mix, but potentially as one of the cornerstones of the UK’s clean-energy infrastructure.
What this means practically is that millions of homes and businesses stand to benefit. Government commentary at the Clean Power 2030 Summits in London noted that reaching the 47 GW mark would equate to solar installations on nine million homes by 2030. In addition, the growth in capacity is expected to support up to 35,000 jobs in the sector by 2030 (up from roughly 17,000 today).
From a broader perspective, increasing solar capacity will contribute to several strategic aims: boosting UK energy security (by reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels), lowering electricity bills for consumers (as solar becomes one of the cheapest large-scale generation sources), and accelerating the transition to net-zero.
Of course, the outlook is contingent on several factors. These include timely grid-connection reform (to avoid bottlenecks), sustained supply-chain resilience (especially as the report identifies opportunity for UK manufacturing growth) and local planning permissions or community engagement going smoothly. The Roadmap and associated analyses emphasize that reaching the upper end of the deployment scenarios will require significant action across these dimensions.
For homeowners, businesses and communities, many of whom follow the blog at Cucumber Eco, the implications are clear: solar isn’t just an option for the future, it is becoming part of mainstream energy strategy. With capacity set to more than double in the next five years, there are major opportunities for rooftop installations, integration into new homes (via the upcoming requirement for most new-build homes to include panels) and even participation in commercial or community-scale solar projects.
In summary, the next decade promises to be a transformative period for solar in the UK. If the targets are met and barriers surmounted, the solar industry could shift from being a growing niche to being a major pillar of the UK’s clean-energy economy; delivering cleaner power, economic opportunity and greater energy independence.
Final Thoughts
The UK’s solar energy landscape is entering a defining decade. With strong government backing, widespread public support, and rapidly advancing technology, solar power is no longer a niche part of the energy mix, it’s becoming central to the country’s clean-energy future.
Policies such as the Solar Roadmap and Future Homes Standard are not just setting ambitious goals but reshaping how energy is generated, stored, and used in everyday life. Meanwhile, public enthusiasm and private investment are creating momentum that extends from large solar farms to individual rooftops.
Yet, progress will depend on how effectively the UK addresses the challenges ahead, from grid-connection delays and supply-chain pressures to ensuring that communities feel the benefits of local projects. If these barriers can be managed, solar energy will deliver lasting rewards: lower emissions, reduced energy costs, and greater resilience against global energy shocks.
For individuals and organisations alike, now is the time to act. Investing in solar, supporting community projects, or simply learning more about how renewables fit into our shared future all contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable Britain.
