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- Last month was the best month yet for solar generation
- Solar generated 3.2TWh of energy, enough to power 1.28mn homes
- Solar is booming, but Burnham must not waste time in the North Sea
Britain’s solar sector is surging ahead and breaking generation record after generation record, with July 2026 being the best month yet.
Last month a massive 14.4% of all power generated in the country was solar, beating the record of 12.4% set in May and flying past the 9.6% of July 2025.
All in all, solar generated 3.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) in July, enough to power 1.28mn homes for an entire year. For context, in 2025 the monthly amounts of solar TWh was 1.67.
On Sunday 12th July, which came at the end of a heatwave, solar accounted for 18.8% of Britain’s energy generation, just shy of the record of 19.5% set on 24th May.
According to the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO), solar accounted for 44% from 10.30am to midday on 12th July.
This massive boom in solar generation played out in installations. In the first six months of the year, January to July, there were 142,536 solar panel installations. This is the best six-monthly figure since the second half of 2100, which recorded 167,316 installations.
According to Michael Shanks, Minister for Energy, the more solar we generate, the less exposed families and households are to energy price shocks.
Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK said the data shows that solar is now “a major player” in the energy mix delivering “home-grown, cheap, clean and reliable energy”.
What does this mean for UK renewable energy?
The fact that we’re producing so much renewable energy is great, and the government must be credited with helping the industry by continuing to commit to getting households away from gas.
Since he took over as prime minister, Andy Burnham has cut VAT from electricity, which is a fantastic move in the right direction.
What is more concerning is Andy Burnham apparently considering approving the more drilling in the North Sea. This would be a disaster, not just for the environment but also for our reliance on fossil fuels, which is the reason our bills are as high as they are.
He says he’ll take a “pragmatic view” of the North Sea. The cost of living, Burnham says, means he has to take seriously the calls to approve Rosebank and Jackdaw.
Approving them would not be the ‘pragmatic’ decision because doing so prolongs the time we’re reliant on buying on gas and oil from abroad (as the industry is privatised, we then have to buy it back at international market prices from the companies).
As the solar data shows, solar is growing as a source of cheap and clean energy. Combined with wind and home energy upgrades, solar will be the thing that makes our bills cheaper in the long run.
