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Solar matched its record 8.4 TWh in Q2 2026 despite fewer sun hours, as new capacity offset the weaker weather

DESNZ's Energy Trends release of 29 September shows solar making up 12.3 per cent of UK generation between April and June, with 2.1 GW of new solar capacity accounting for three quarters of all renewable capacity added in the past year.

30 September 2026 · Source: DESNZ Energy Trends

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published its Energy Trends release for April to June 2026 on 29 September, and the solar line is more interesting than a plain record would have been. Solar PV generation matched the previous quarterly record of 8.4 TWh, set in the second quarter of 2025, which the report describes as the sunniest quarter in its time series. This year had fewer sun hours, so the same output came from more panels: an increase of 2.1 GW of capacity offset the weaker weather. Solar supplied 12.3 per cent of UK electricity over the quarter.

The wider picture supports it. Renewables reached a record 55.8 per cent share of generation, up from 54.8 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, with wind at 27.9 per cent, ahead of the 26.8 per cent from gas. Renewable installed capacity reached 66.3 GW, up 2.7 GW on a year earlier, and solar accounted for three quarters of that growth. The release also notes that 2025 saw a record number of new solar installations, largely domestic rooftop, which is the part of the market this site follows most closely.

For a household weighing up panels, the useful reading is about resilience rather than the headline. Output held at record levels in a quarter with less sunshine because installed capacity keeps growing, and a system on your own roof behaves the same way at small scale: a poorer summer trims the yield rather than removing it. Treat the 8.4 TWh figure as a national statistic, not a forecast for any one roof. Yield still depends on orientation, shading and pitch, so a survey-based estimate from an MCS installer remains the number to trust when comparing quotes.

Read the original: DESNZ Energy Trends. Commentary is Sandwich Solar's own editorial view; the original reporting is credited to its publisher.

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