- Solar panels, heat pumps and EVs still very popular despite best efforts of Reform
- Installations increasing by double digits over several years
- The United Nations COP30 summit is due to begin on Monday in Belém, Brazil
Clean technology such as solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles (EVs) is still very popular in the UK despite the efforts of populist politicians, according to data.
Polling by YouGov on behalf of Sky News, taken as COP30 gets underway in Brazil, found that despite the efforts of parties such as Reform UK, planet-friendly policies are still popular, with installations of clean energy technology booming across the board.
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In Q2 2025, added solar megawatts (MW) capacity was 49% bigger than it was three years earlier in Q2 2022, thanks to more people installing solar panels on their roofs. Government-subsidised heat pump installations were also 38% bigger in Q2 2025 than they were in Q2 2022.
EVs have also boomed, with the number of new registrations of licensed BEVs and PHEVs 52% higher in Q2 2025 than they were in Q2 2022. This follows a record quarter for EV installations in Q1 2025, which saw 163,986 registrations.
Over 164,000 new battery and hybrid cars were introduced on British roads between January-March 2025, a record increase for a single quarter. New solar panel and heat pump installations were also near previous peaks for the first and second quarter of 2025, with government subsidies for heat pumps incentivising uptake.
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This consistent support for clean energy is despite the strong opposition to the government’s net-zero strategy, in particular from Reform UK, who are currently leading the opinion polls, and the Conservative Party.
Earlier this year Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice urged investors to shun clean energy infrastructure investment initiatives, warning that contracts would be ripped up should the party win the next general election.
Following this, Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, said she would axe the Climate Change Act, the legislation that is the bedrock of all the UK’s clean energy and carbon-cutting targets.
Both parties were roundly condemned by energy stakeholders and experts, with Chris Hewett, CEO of Solar Energy UK, describing Reform UK’s position as “unpatriotic”.
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Why is clean energy technology still so popular?
The continued popularity in the UK of clean energy technology, in particular solar panels and heat pumps, is almost certainly down to the government grants and initiatives that Reform UK and the Conservatives have threatened.
The benefits of solar energy are obvious: it’s much cleaner than gas; it can take a huge bite out of your energy bills; and if you have a battery you can store energy you don’t use to either sell back to the grid or use if there is a powercut. These benefits are clearly cutting through.
However, solar panels are expensive, and without government schemes such as ECO4 – which can potentially pay for 100% of the outlay – it would be much harder to convince people they are worth the cost.
It’s the same story with heat pumps. Installation is hamstrung by the fact that electricity is four times more expensive than gas, meaning energy bills won’t come down in the short term until the government does something about the ‘Spark Gap’ (a term that refers to the difference between electricity and gas).
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As well as feeling positive towards clean energy, people remain worried about climate change. YouGov’s data found that 65% of adults to be ‘very’ or ‘fairly worried’ about the impact of climate change, with 71% of surveytakers believing humans are to blame. These figures have not dropped since 2021.
Hannah Ritchie, data scientist at Oxford University and Our World in Data, said there has been a “huge shift in the feasibility, the accessibility, and the affordability of these low carbon switches that people will have to make.”
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