According to data released by the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on June 27, 2024, the cumulative installed capacity of PV systems installed in the UK up to May 2024 reached 16.8GW.
The data shows that the UK installed 582MW of new PV systems in the first five months of 2024, down from 640MW in the same period in 2023. 16,333 PV systems were installed in the UK in May, adding 69MW of new capacity, which was a new high for the year but still failed to surpass the May 2023 figure of 131MW.
By sector, installed PV system capacity now accounts for 30% of the total installed capacity of all types of energy installations in the UK and accounted for the majority of May 2024 additions. Residential PV systems installed in the UK accounted for 80% of the new installed capacity, with 53MW of installed residential PV systems installed in May.
So far, the size distribution of PV systems installed in the UK in the first five months of 2024 has been relatively even. 255MW of PV systems up to 10kW were installed, compared to 257MW of PV systems of 5MW and above. the remaining 71MW were mainly PV systems with installed capacity of 10kW to 50kW, with only 9MW of PV systems of 50kW to 5MW.
The latest statistics from the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) are in line with the continuing trend of PV power generation in the UK. In the first few years of the UK's feed-in tariff subsidy policy, the share of installed residential PV system capacity declined rapidly. Since 2016, it has hovered at or below 25%. In the last 18 months, however, that share has climbed to 30% due to a surge in the number of small PV systems installed.
Mark Sommerfeld, deputy director of the UK Renewable Energy Association (REA), said that despite the increase in PV system deployment, it remains well below the 70GW of installed PV system capacity needed to get the UK to its net-zero target by 2035.
As UK voters prepare to cast their ballots for the July 4 General Election, Sommerfeld added: "Renewable Energy Association (REA) is calling on the next government to prioritize key actions to accelerate the deployment of ground-mounted PV systems and rooftop PV systems by focusing on grid connectivity and planning reforms, to give the sector the impetus it needs to grow to meet the ambitious and important targets."
Source：https://news.solarbe.com/202407/09/380075.html