UK Solar Power Hit a Record High This Summer, Analysis Finds

Solar power generation in the UK reached a new record over the summer of 2026, as temperatures across the nation soared, according to new analysis by Carbon Brief. Collectively over June, July and August, solar farms and rooftops generated 8.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, a 23% increase from the same period in 2025 and double the level of solar generation recorded over the summer of 2021.

The surge came amid the hottest summer on record in the UK, with five heatwaves between May and August. Summer 2026 was the sixth-sunniest on record, with more than 620 hours of sunshine, according to the Met Office, while England and Wales saw their second-sunniest summers on record. June 2026 was the hottest June in England since records began in 1884, and it was the driest July for England and Wales since records began in 1836, with some parts of London seeing no rain at all in the month.

June, July and August all set new monthly records for solar generation. July saw the highest solar generation in any calendar month ever, with 3.3 TWh meeting 15% of the UK's overall electricity demand for the month. As of the end of August, total UK solar generation in 2026 stood at 17 TWh, 13% higher than the same point in 2025, helped by continued growth in installations: nearly 172,000 solar installations have been fitted across the UK since the start of 2026, and in July alone more than 19,800 rooftop panels were installed, the equivalent of one installation every two minutes.

"[It] not only kept bills down for people with solar and batteries in their homes, but helped keep overall power prices much lower than they would have been if Britain had been relying on more gas generation during the day," said Chris Hewett, chief executive of trade association Solar Energy UK, welcoming the record and crediting it to "clear skies and continued growth in deployment."

Nearly 1.7 million UK households now have solar panels installed. Over 26 heatwave days this summer, households with rooftop solar avoided an estimated £86.7 million in electricity costs, according to analysis by Utility Bidder.