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At the end of August 2023,the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Emissions(DESNZ)released cumulative photovoltaic capacity data as of July,which is 15292.8 MW.
From January to July this year,the newly added photovoltaic system in the UK was 634.8 MW,compared to 315.5 MW in the same period last year.
The country set a record for new electricity generation of approximately 71.3 MW in July alone,and this is only temporary data,which is expected to be revised upwards after receiving more data on newly operated power plants.The newly added photovoltaic installed capacity in July 2022 was 46.4 MW,while the total installed capacity in June this year reached 84 MW.
Gareth Simkins,a spokesperson for the London based UK Solar Industry Association,told Photovoltaic magazine that these numbers are”relatively low”.
He said,”However,I suspect this is only a temporary deviation.Secondly,I want to emphasize that the statistical data is not very reliable
Chris Hewett,CEO of the UK Solar Industry Association,explained that the government often lags behind in collecting data on the operation of utility scale photovoltaic power plants,and lacks reliable data to quantify commercial rooftop photovoltaic power generation.He said,”The commercial rooftop photovoltaic power generation is consistent with government statistics from the past few years.But we all know that the actual capacity is much more than government statistics
Hewett stated that based on feedback he received from members of the association,the market for commercial rooftop solar and household small solar systems continues to grow.Simkins estimates that the data for July should be 16 GW.He predicts that the”strong growth”of the photovoltaic industry will be reflected in the data for 2023,2024,and 2025.
Simkins said,”To achieve the 70 GW target set by the UK government by 2035,we need to install 4.5 GW of capacity annually before that.As the industry continues to develop,this is something we can do within our capabilities.It is clear that we will not achieve this goal immediately,but we will accelerate the pace of achieving the target and are likely to surpass it
In March 2023,the UK government established a photovoltaic task force,a consortium of stakeholders in the photovoltaic industry led by Hewett,responsible for accelerating the development of the photovoltaic market and achieving the goal of installing 70 GW of photovoltaic systems by 2035.The focus of its plan is to increase the installation of rooftop and ground mounted photovoltaic systems,but it also includes ensuring investment and increasing skilled labor in the photovoltaic industry.The goal of this working group is to release a roadmap next year to achieve the 2035 target of 70 GW of photovoltaic installed capacity.
Hewett stated that the biggest challenge faced by the UK solar photovoltaic industry is grid connection and investment,which has always been influenced by regulations issued by the Ofgem in the UK.Ofgem is the UK government agency that regulates the electricity and downstream natural gas markets.
Hewett said,”Some of Ofgem’s regulations have lowered investment quotas because it is believed that consumers are increasingly paying for it.At the same time,solar and wind power are clearly the cheapest power generation technologies in the market,so the faster we bring solar and wind power facilities to the market,the faster we can lower electricity prices
The second major issue facing the photovoltaic industry is cultivating skilled labor.Hewett stated that this means ensuring that installers and engineering,procurement,and construction(EPC)companies can recruit a sufficient number of qualified workers to meet market demand.He said,”We have started organizing recruitment activities and conducting more training activities.This is indeed a challenge,but the photovoltaic industry is just beginning to face this challenge
Hewett added that other issues include improving the reliability of the supply chain and strengthening internal capacity building(such as manufacturing and selling complete sets of batteries),as well as eliminating the”important details”related to rooftop solar energy more widely.This will face some challenges,such as the possibility of tenants negotiating with landlords to install rooftop photovoltaic systems on rented properties.
According to Hewett,it is interesting that the UK Solar Industry Association has seen many household photovoltaic systems equipped with battery energy storage systems.”Therefore,at least 50%of photovoltaic systems are now equipped with battery energy storage systems.This is a major feature of the UK photovoltaic market.”According to data released on the UK government website,more than 1 million British households have installed rooftop solar panels,but due to commercial buildings,schools,warehouses Both parking lots and water bodies can be equipped with rooftop solar energy,so there is still more’untapped potential’.
It is worth noting that the UK’s utility scale solar photovoltaic projects include the Cleve Hill solar power park on the northern coast of Kent,which is planned to be completed in 2024,and the Botley West solar farm,which is planned to be built in Oxford and has not yet submitted planning permission.