Solar Energy UK
30 June 2025
A new era of clean energy independence dawned today, with the publication of the long-anticipated Solar Roadmap.[1]
The government-industry paper describes dozens of practical measures to boost the supply of cheaper power, deliver new industries and create skilled jobs – all while providing significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and gains in biodiversity. By addressing issues such as the electricity grid, supply chain, skills and planning, it will play a major role in delivering both the Government’s mission for the UK to become a clean energy superpower and December’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.[2]
By that time, we could see around 9m small-scale rooftop installations, up from 1.8m now, with the sector supporting 35,000 jobs – almost twice the number of today. Meanwhile, solar farms will have made a major contribution to pushing expensive natural gas off the grid, bolstering our energy security.
The roadmap was developed over two years and two Governments by the Solar Taskforce – led by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband and Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett, with support from leading figures in the solar industry and related sectors. The taskforce will shortly transition into the Solar Council, set to drive future progress and guide the plan’s implementation.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for solar in our country. More than 1.5m homes across Britain now have solar installed, and since this Government came to office my department has consented almost 3GW of nationally significant solar projects – nearly three times as much as the previous 14 years combined. But we know we need to go further to deliver our goals for clean power by 2030 and beyond,” said Miliband.
“Solar energy is among the lowest cost, and most popular, forms of power generation in the UK, and unlocking its potential will increase Britain’s energy security, drive down bills as well as be a major contributor to preventing dangerous climate change. The fact that it can be deployed rapidly in so many ways from household rooftops, to warehouses, to reservoirs and large-scale solar farms, is the key ingredient to this potential,” said Hewett.
Solar Energy UK thanks the former co-chairs of the taskforce, Andrew Bowie MP and the Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP, alongside the members of its five sub-groups on networks, skills, supply chain and innovation, rooftop solar and communications. We are also grateful to former MP Chris Skidmore, who suggested the taskforce’s formation in his 2023 Review of Net Zero.[3]
Rooftop
Despite enormous reductions in cost over recent years, one of the key barriers to more widespread adoption of rooftop photovoltaics remains their upfront cost. So the government will work with the Green Finance Institute, the finance sector, consumer bodies and the solar sector itself to provide financial solutions for all customers.
The Taskforce also identified ongoing lack of awareness of the benefits of both domestic and commercial-scale solar energy as a further obstacle, with potential buyers unaware of trusted sources of information. Accordingly, the Government will update its Energy Efficient Home website to promote solar deployment. Meanwhile, the UK Warehousing Association has agreed to develop a toolkit for the commercial-scale market and to work on resolving barriers such as leasing terms and difficulties connecting to independently-run distribution networks.[4]
How solar power is reflected in energy performance certificates will be revised and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors will ensure that the value of solar homes is assessed properly. Incentives to install solar power on social housing will also be considered and retrofit customers will benefit from a review of consumer protections.
Additional commitments embrace helping schools to deploy solar power; further support for community energy from GB Energy; and support for local authorities’ solar projects from the National Wealth Fund.
A study into the safety of plug-in solar energy systems, which are currently forbidden, will also commence.
Grid
In parallel to existing initiatives, damagingly long waiting times for connecting large-scale rooftop and groundmount projects to the electricity grid will be addressed through procedural reforms, allowing projects most likely to go ahead to jump the queue.
At the residential scale, a requirement for solar projects above 3.68 kilowatts to be approved by distribution network operators will be reviewed. This red tape can lead to capacity being limited unduly.
Other welcome changes are expected to the inaccurate way that applications for battery energy storage systems are considered, and to who pays for new high-voltage transformers – which the roadmap describes as a “postcode lottery”.
Supply chain
The roadmap represents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow the solar supply chain and manufacturing capacity in the UK.” While economics preclude the domestic manufacturing of conventional silicon-based panels, there is scope to grow the production of transformers, inverters, switchgear, supporting bracketry, battery storage and cabling, it says, not to mention R&D for lightweight and cutting-edge perovskite technology.
Accordingly, the government will consider supporting companies looking to scale up production.
The roadmap also details the government’s support for the “world-leading” Solar Stewardship Initiative, intended to prevent the procurement of solar panels produced with raw materials tainted by forced labour. This comes after confirming that the system will be used by Great British Energy.
“The UK Government is clear that there should be no procurement of solar panels where there is evidence of forced labour. Government will empower contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from government contracts who have committed labour market misconduct and/or environmental offences in the UK or overseas… The UK solar sector has been proactive in its response to this issue,” says the roadmap, noting Solar Energy UK’s Supply Chain Statement and Responsible Sourcing FAQ.[5,6]
The rapid growth of the UK solar industry – expected to expand by up to 17% this year – “offers a generational opportunity to create a wealth of high-quality jobs. At this crucial juncture, we must put the structures in place to build the skilled workforce needed now and in the decades to come,” the roadmap says.
Without action, there is a risk of skilled labour shortages, skills gaps, loss of key skills “and potentially costly, urgent intervention further into the future,” it warns.
Solving the problem will require intervention from across government. Solar Energy UK has already launched Solar Careers UK, which will provide information and guidance on what skills and competences are needed for jobs in the sector and how to attain them.[7]
The roadmap itself offers no less than eleven actions on skills, including improving the provision and effectiveness of training, mapping the routes to competence for core occupations and connecting colleges and businesses. Solar Energy UK will work with other trade bodies on how to attract and retain newly trained installers and prepare teaching materials for schools.
Planning
Despite reforms to permitted development, the National Planning Policy Framework and other aspects of the planning regime, there is still more to be done to ease the solar sector’s growth – including floating solar.
Solar Energy UK has committed to work with the planning profession to ensure that training is fit for purpose. We will also produce factsheets to advise planners and councillors, plugging the gap in the expertise needed to assess solar applications effectively.
[1] Solar Roadmap
[2] Solar set to smash through Clean Power Plan targets
[3] Skidmore Review calls for ‘solar revolution’
[4] Investment case for rooftop solar power in warehousing
[5] Solar Supply Chains: Sustainability Issues and Action
[6] Responsible Sourcing Guidance
[7] Solar Careers UK
– ENDS –
Editor’s notes
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Gareth Simkins, Senior Communications Adviser
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Gareth Simkins
Senior Communications Adviser
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