Why is summer good for renewable energy?
Summer in the UK – known for its long days, warmer temperatures and (hopefully) less rain than we’ve been experiencing so far this year. But did you know that it’s also fantastic news for renewable energy?
In the video below, we celebrate how we use energy from the sun to generate our 100% renewable electricity.
How much energy is generated from solar panels?
The UK’s total solar capacity has expanded dramatically over the past three years. According to 2023 statistics, we now have over 15GW of solar panels installed across solar farms and rooftop arrays – 4.86GW of that being domestic solar panels. For context, the biggest power station in the UK is 2.6GW.
1.39 million homes across the country have solar panels installed, allowing them to generate their own renewable electricity and get paid for any leftover electricity that they export to the grid.
Collectively, the power from solar panels provides 4.5% of the UK’s total fuel mix. We believe this figure is likely to be underestimated, as many homes and businesses use their own solar power before it makes its way onto the grid.
What time of year are solar panels most effective?
April to September are the months with the highest average hours of sunlight, with over 14 hours of daylight each day. In June, this goes up to 16.4 daylight hours. So it’s no surprise these are the months where we usually generate the most from solar power.
While UK weather is famously changeable, it’s comforting to know that on average we get over five ‘sun hours’ each day between April and September. Sun hours are the measurement unit for sunlight intensity, and are when solar panels are working at their most effective.
