UK doubles official Q1 2015 solar estimate as capacity approaches 6.5GW

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The UK government has doubled its estimate for solar deployment in the UK during the first quarter of 2015, upgrading its total deployment forecast to 6.5GW.

Figures released by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) late last week state that the UK had deployed a total of 6,521MW of PV capacity by the end of March 2015, a significant increase on the 5.7GW capacity it originally forecast in April.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The new figures take DECC’s total Q1 forecast to 1,285MW from an initial 614MW which, although ultimately more realistic than its previous estimate, still falls short of other figures suggested within the industry.

As reported on PV Tech’s sister site Solar Power Portal, research firm IHS estimated that 1.6GW had been added throughout the first quarter, however other estimates have suggested the UK’s total deployment capacity at the end of the period could have stood at as much as 8GW.

The majority of the added capacity in Q1 predictably came from capacity commissioned and accredited under the renewables obligation (RO) support scheme; DECC has forecast that total capacity under the RO stood at 2.3GW at the end of Q1 2015, an increase of 15% (308MW) on Q4 2014 figures.

DECC also estimates solar PV capacity at the end of April to have stood at 6,562MW from almost 700,000 separate installations, an increase of just 41MW from the previous month’s total.

The RO scheme has now been scaled back and is only available for projects under 5MW. Larger projects must bid for support under the competitive contracts for difference framework.

David Pickup, business analyst for UK industry body the Solar Trade Association, said: “We were expecting an upwards revision, as there is always a time lag in DECC and Ofgem [the UK regulator] data and are anticipating further increases. DECC states that current deployment is 6.5GW, but IHS estimates 7.6GW: this makes DECC’s 2020 ‘target’ deployment of 10-12GW increasingly unrealistic.

“We hope the new government will be updating this target range as a priority in the near future. Our Solar Independence Plan allows, in 2020, a Minimum Ambition of 20GW and a Higher Ambition of 25GW – we feel these are realistic.”

Read Next

October 2, 2025
FRV Australia has announced the completion of its largest solar project to date, the 300MW Walla Walla Solar Farm in New South Wales.
October 1, 2025
The insurance industry must adapt to evolving risks to head off a 'protection gap' that could undermine the global green energy transition.
October 1, 2025
North Carolina-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company Blue Ridge Power has laid off more than 500 of its employees at two locations.
October 1, 2025
Italy has released the results of its latest solar auction, which includes 273 expressions of interest for a combined capacity of 3,161MW.
October 1, 2025
Adding 32GW of new solar to Thailand’s power generation deployment targets could cut power generation costs by as much as US$1.8 billion.
October 1, 2025
The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in July 2025 is expected to slow down the pace of US community solar through 2030.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA