UK Solar PV Installation Capacity Doubles in 2014

The UK almost doubled its official installed solar photovoltaic generating capacity in 2014, rising to 5GW by the end of…

The UK almost doubled its official installed solar photovoltaic generating capacity in 2014, rising to 5GW by the end of the year from 2.8GW just 12 months earlier, according to data from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The UK now has enough installed solar PV capacity to power 1.5 million households, and boasts 650,000 PV installations of all shapes and sizes. This steady growth in the UK solar industry is set to continue this year, with IHS forecasting an additional 3.2GW of capacity to be added in 2015.

Reports vary as to how much solar PV capacity was added in 2014, with some analysts suggesting it could be more than 2.5GW. The DECC’s figures point to the addition of around 2.2GW – which may in fact be a conservative estimate.

However, the announcement last May that the UK government was to withdraw Renewable Obligation (RO) support for solar projects larger than 5MW two years early sent shockwaves through the industry, creating confusion and prompting an end-of-year rush to install that will still be felt in Q1 2015.