The UK will surpass the 9GW solar capacity barrier this week owing to a significant increase in ROO-FiT eligible installations, Solar Power Portal can reveal.
The revelation follows a substantial deployment of utility-scale solar in Q1 2015 under the Renewables Obligation programme, which resulted in more than 2.5GW being installed in the first three months of the year.
Subsequent quarters have seen 253MW and 317MW connected respectively, pushing the UK to just below the 9GW barrier at the end of September. Solar Intelligence’s real-time data shows this will surpass 9GW sometime this week.
The figures come less than a week after the Department of Energy and Climate Change claimed current capacity to stand at around 8.2GW, with just 73MW of solar installed under ROO-FiTs in 2015 to date.
In a blog for Solar Power Portal today, Solar Intelligence’s Finlay Colville discusses DECC’s problems in failing to account for ROO-FiT deployment, contributing to the underestimation of UK solar deployment.