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UK solar reaches 23.2 GW and 2.13 million installations, with 291,000 added in a year, the most in any 12 months since 2012

DESNZ's monthly deployment tables, published on 29 September with data to the end of August, put UK capacity up 9.0% on a year earlier and show the South East now holds more solar installations than any other region.

6 October 2026 · Source: DESNZ Solar photovoltaics deployment

DESNZ published its August 2026 solar deployment tables on 29 September. Provisionally, the UK had 23.2 GW of solar capacity across 2,131,000 installations at the end of August, an increase of 9.0% (1.9 GW) on August 2025. The department says 291,000 installations were added over the past year, the most in any 12-month period since 2012. In August itself there were 24,154 new installations adding 124 MW, and 17,285 of those were on residential buildings, adding 98 MW. The figures are provisional and are normally revised as late data arrives.

The pace is steady rather than spiking. DESNZ notes that the median over the past 12 months is more than 24,000 installations a month, against around 3,000 a month between 2016 and 2021 after the Renewables Obligation closed to new entrants. Over the last 12 months more than 1 GW of domestic solar was installed across more than 195,000 homes, yet homes still account for only about 30% of total capacity, with at least 38% (8.8 GW) coming from ground-mounted or standalone sites.

The release adds a regional table for the first time, and it is useful locally. At the end of August the South East had 308,315 installations and 3,828.6 MW, the largest installation count of any English region ahead of the South West (273,856), although the South West leads on capacity at 4,595.8 MW. Between July and August the South East gained 2,981 installations. The regional table covers the whole South East, not Kent alone, so it says nothing specific about the county.

For a household weighing up panels, the main takeaway is that installer demand and supply chains are now operating at a scale not seen for over a decade, which tends to favour buyers who get several quotes and check MCS certification. DESNZ also flags a limit on the data: it does not yet capture all unsubsidised installations under 150 kW that are not recorded in its sources, so the published totals may understate the true position. The next update is due on 29 October.

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

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